Red Bull and Visa Cash App RB pair had their first F1 showrun together in Tokyo ahead of Japanese GP to celebrate their partnership with Honda.
In an historic moment and world first, all four Red Bull Formula One drivers participated in the largest Red Bull Showrun in Japan’s history, driving F1 cars from the Team’s Heritage collection and delighting fans in front of Yuki Tsunoda’s home crowd.
The Red Bull Showrun, powered by Honda, took place on Wednesday 02 April in the streets of Tokyo, all witnessing an historic moment for the Team and welcoming Yuki for his first major public appearance as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver in front of 12,000 fans. The event marked the first time all four drivers from Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls participated in a Showrun together and celebrated the Team’s partnership with Honda and the final season of one of the most successful PU partnerships in motorsport history.
Four-time World Champion Max Verstappen drove alongside hometown hero Yuki Tsunoda and VCARB drivers Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, as they took to the streets in F1 cars: the RB16B which saw Max win his first World Drivers’ Championship, powered by Honda and two RB7s, which won double World Championships, from the Team’s Heritage collection.
Yuki drove the final run in the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB7 in front of his home crowd, before the cars pulled up in front of fans for a final photo moment with all Red Bull drivers. In the garage, the historic Honda RA 272 was also on display, which was the first Japanese car to win in Formula One.
The Red Bull Showrun marked the strength of Honda’s partnership with the Team and celebrated one of the most successful PU partnerships F1 has witnessed. The event not only marked the Team’s final season with Honda, but also showcased the Team’s gratitude to the contribution of the successes that were achieved on track.
Max has won four World titles with a Honda Power Unit and the Team have lifted two Constructors’ titles with Honda, as well as Honda’s reliability enabling the Team to complete the most successful season in the sport’s history in 2023. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of Honda’s first victory in F1.
Max, said: “It’s been a great day here at the Showrun in Japan and looks like the weather brightened up for us a bit, which is good! It’s the first time all four Red Bull drivers have been at a Showrun together and the day is really a thank you to Honda for everything over the years and marking our final year in partnership with them. I have won all four of my Driver’s Championships and two Constructors’ Championships with Honda so it has been a very successful one! To drive the RB16B again, the car that I won my very first Championship in is really special and brings back a lot of memories. I always love coming to Japan to race and really enjoy spending time here. The Japanese fans are always amazing and we want to thank them for coming out here today to celebrate the day.”
Yuki, said: “I loved today, and I hope the fans did too. They are so supportive of the sport and of me, it was great to be surrounded by them. I didn’t realise this was the first time all four Red Bull drivers had done a showrun together and that’s so cool! I looked up at the big screen at one stage and was watching Max and I in the two Red Bulls alongside each other and it looked really good. It’s one of those key moments for our Red Bull family to have as a memory. To also have a couple of generations of cars here is special, it’s just a shame I didn’t get to drive the Honda RA272 because of the rain.
“It’s very special to have this moment in my home country, driving a Formula One car in Tokyo has blown my mind! It’s a moment I have dreamt about, I imagined it as a kid driving here but now it’s happened in the real world, so thank you to Red Bull and Honda for making that happen. Saying thank you to Honda this weekend is very special for me, without them I probably wouldn’t be in the sport and I am honoured and excited to be driving an Oracle Red Bull Racing car for them this weekend in Suzuka. Hopefully I can have a good result with the beautiful livery, that would be a small token of appreciate to them from me.”
Isack Hadjar said: “It was an amazing and special event today, for everyone who’s part of the Red Bull family and Honda. It was also my first ever Red Bull Showrun, so I was definitely excited this morning whilst I was getting ready to jump in the car. Having been able to do this with the RB7 and its V8 engine, which is Sebastian Vettel’s championship winning car, it’s pretty cool. It was nice being out there with both teams, with all four Red Bull drivers running Formula One cars in a unique Red Bull Showrun in Tokyo. I’m a big fan of the Japanese culture, so it was definitely enjoyable doing these runs in front of all the Japanese fans, who have shown us their warmth. It’s the best way to start the race weekend and I’m now looking forward to racing in Suzuka.”
Liam Lawson said: “Today was really special for the Red Bull family and for Honda. It was great to have all four of us come together to celebrate both our partnership with Honda and the fans in Tokyo. The Red Bull Showrun gives us an opportunity to give back to fans who have supported all of us over the years. To see so many of them come out, especially in the rain, really shows how great they are. I’ve spent a lot of time in Japan in my Super Formula days, so I’m always excited to be back and to be racing a track I know well. Today has been a great start to the weekend so thank you!”
Laurent Mekies, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Team Principal, said: “As the largest Showrun in Japan’s history, it’s amazing to see the support from the fans for the Team, for Honda and of course, for Yuki at his home race this week. To have all four Red Bull drivers together is a privilege and a perfect way to celebrate our partnership with Honda. The unrivalled Japanese support was really out in full force today in Tokyo and it’s given us a huge boost of excitement as we go into Suzuka this weekend.”
Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), said: “In the year that completes the eight-year collaboration between Honda and Red Bull, we are delighted to host an event in Tokyo for fans to demonstrate the power and speed of F1 cars. Today, the four F1 drivers who drove F1 cars in Tokyo bay area will be fighting for victory at F1 Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. Oracle Red Bull Racing will compete in a special livery that pays homage to Honda’s first Formula 1 victory 60 years ago with RA272 with a Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda at his home race. See you on track.”
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[The story is as per press release]
