Yuki Tsunoda will be desperate for a repeat of the last time Red Bull used special Japanese Grand Prix Honda livery

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The Japanese Grand Prix has already been an important race for Yuki Tsunoda, but this year’s edition has even greater meaning.

After more than four seasons trying to prove himself at Racing Bulls – and all of its previous iterations – Yuki Tsunoda is finally a Red Bull Racing driver.

Red Bull have made two driver changes in the past three Grand Prix weekends.

Max Verstappen was partnered by Sergio Perez for the final race of 2024 and Liam Lawson for the first two Grand Prix of 2025.

However, Red Bull confirmed Perez’s exit during the winter break, and after a really tough start to the season, Lawson has been demoted back to Racing Bulls.

Lawson really struggled with the RB21, and now it’s Tsunoda’s turn to try and wrangle an incredibly difficult car to drive.

The Japanese Grand Prix is expected to be a celebration for Red Bull given their successful partnership with Honda.

A new livery has been teased and Tsunoda will be hoping that he can emulate what happened the last time Red Bull changed their look to commemorate the Japanese power unit producers.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Red Bull secured a double podium finish after using special Honda livery

Honda’s partnership with the Anglo-Austrian team is concluding at the end of this season, with Red Bull building their own engine for the 2026 F1 season.

However, their agreement was originally supposed to finish in 2021 before Honda u-turned on their involvement in Formula 1.

They’ll be working exclusively with Aston Martin from next season, but before then, they’ll be hoping Verstappen and Tsunoda can deliver the results that have seen the team win six championships in the last four years.

Back in 2021, Red Bull planned to commemorate their partnership with Honda with a special livery.

Unfortunately, the race in Japan was cancelled that season due to Covid, meaning Red Bull had to run their white cars at the Turkish Grand Prix.

It turned out to be good luck for the team, with Verstappen and Perez both finishing on the podium

Valtteri Bottas denied Red Bull victory by taking pole position and the race win, with Verstappen’s title rival Lewis Hamilton forced to settle for a P5 finish.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Yuki Tsunoda sets his sights on Japanese Grand Prix podium

Out of the 20 drivers currently racing in Formula 1, only one has taken part in more Grand Prix without finishing on the podium than Tsunoda.

That record belongs to Nico Hulkenberg, and Sauber’s 2025 car looks too difficult to drive for that stat to change this season.

However, Tsunoda joining Red Bull now gives him a realistic chance of ending his wait for a top-three finish.

Tsunoda is aiming to finish on the podium in Japan in front of his home fans, but the odds are stacked against him.

He has even less experience driving for Red Bull than Lawson did before his debut and has done virtually no testing throughout his career in their cars.

However, Tsunoda has made positive noises about his time in the simulator, and he’ll hope that he can help him keep up Red Bull’s 100% record of having two drivers on the podium when the team uses a special Honda livery.