Red Bull returns to normal: after the special Honda livery displayed at the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, it’s time to prepare for Bahrain. The work begins right after the race, following the celebrations for Max Verstappen’s stunning victory. The mechanics at the pit stop “peel” the RB21, revealing a secret: the two cars raced with two different liveries.
It couldn’t have been a better farewell: Honda and Red Bull celebrate the end of their engine partnership with a beautiful home victory at Suzuka. After the spectacular qualifying on Saturday, Max Verstappen keeps the two McLarens at bay and secures a win that brings him to just one point behind Lando Norris in the standings. The Dutchman claims his first win of the season despite the RB21’s struggles.
The race doesn’t quite do justice to the skills of the four-time world champion. Few overtakes, little spectacle, and many train-like formations: as Frédéric Vasseur also suggests, this will be a championship to win on Saturdays, in qualifying. The special livery of the Milton Keynes car, which won the hearts of fans in just a few days, remains a pleasant, though fleeting, consolation.
Red Bull “peeled”: the secret beneath the special Honda livery
Formula 1 is as fast in logistics as it is on track. To prepare the RB21 for next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix, the mechanics immediately got to work removing the special Honda livery. In fact, the iconic white and red color scheme is nothing more than a vinyl wrap, easy to apply and extremely lightweight.
From some shots published by Crash.net, here’s a curious “secret” revealed: Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda raced with two liveries. The vinyl was applied over the team’s standard livery. After several seasons in which teams were forced to use bare carbon to save weight, in 2025, the cars are winning even with two layers of different colors!
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