Yuki Tsunoda to hit the Suzuka tracks in special white and red livery for Red Bull

Yuki Tsunoda has completed his meteoric rise through the Formula 1 ranks, securing a coveted Red Bull Racing seat just in time for his home Grand Prix at Suzuka. Yuki Tsunoda’s career began with a bang when he made his debut for AlphaTauri at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, securing an impressive ninth-place finish. His fearless overtakes and aggressive driving style immediately caught the attention of the paddock, marking him as a rising star.

However, the season was not without challenges, as rookie errors and a steep learning curve resulted in inconsistencies. Despite this, AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost remained confident in Tsunoda’s potential, giving him the support needed to develop his racecraft.

With Pierre Gasly’s departure to Alpine in 2023, Tsunoda assumed the role of AlphaTauri’s lead driver. He embraced the challenge, regularly extracting strong performances from the car and outpacing his teammate in both qualifying and race pace. His ability to battle well beyond the team’s midfield expectations further solidified his reputation as a driver with the potential to step up to Red Bull Racing in the future.

As the 2024 season unfolded, Tsunoda’s performances became impossible to ignore. Consistently finishing in the top ten, he displayed remarkable racecraft, tactical intelligence, and an ability to shine in wet conditions—qualities highly valued by Red Bull Racing. With Sergio Pérez’s form wavering, speculation grew that Tsunoda could be in line for a promotion. His tenacity and ability to outperform expectations made him a prime candidate for the highly sought-after seat.

In a landmark moment for Japanese motorsport, Red Bull Racing officially announced that Yuki Tsunoda would join the team, replacing Liam Lawson ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. The decision not only marks Tsunoda as the first full-time Japanese driver to race for Red Bull but also brings the energy of a home hero to Suzuka, where thousands of passionate fans will witness his first race in a front-running car.

Helmut Marko has confirmed that Red Bull gave Yuki Tsunoda several simulator sessions following the Chinese Grand Prix, which offered “very good” feedback to the team. Red Bull have also revealed a special one-off livery that will adorn the RB21 during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, with the team running a striking white and red design to honour the final year of their partnership with Honda.

If you thought the array of surprises came to an end for this Japanese driver, let us tell you otherwise! While you already know about Yuki's new fashion brand Venti Due, Red Bull has come forward with a special livery too.

In an event that will see Yuki Tsunoda step up as Max Verstappen’s new teammate in front of his home crowd—following the decision to swap the Japanese driver with Liam Lawson, the latter returning to Racing Bulls—Red Bull’s challenger will pay tribute to Honda by sporting a design inspired by the RA272, which gave the engine manufacturer its inaugural win back in 1965.

The livery recreates the RA272's Japanese flag motif, featuring the ‘H’ logo on the nose and the simple Honda logo on the rear of the bodywork, while a special logo commemorating the 60th anniversary of Honda’s debut victory will be displayed on the Red Bull and Racing Bulls cars during the weekend.