This weekend in Japan, the traditional Honda Racing Thanks Day festival will take place at the Motegi circuit, with all four riders from Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri taking part.
The motorsport festival program included a parade of racing cars from various categories, including Formula 1, and Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda held demonstrations of AlphaTauri cars from previous years of production.
But it wasn’t just four-wheeled vehicles: Honda is known for its motorcycles, so famed Spanish motorcycle racer Marc Marquez, the owner of six MotoGP championship titles, also took part in the show.
It was he who became Max Verstappen’s partner in one of the teams that took part in a fun, friendly karting tournament, and together they became the winners. Second place was taken by a team that included Sergio Perez and former Motocross World Champion Tim Geiser.
One of the most striking and moving moments in its own way was the parade of Formula 1 drivers, when Pierre Gasly parted ways with Honda, as his partnership with this company began in 2017, when he spent a season in the Japanese Super Formula series and became the vice-champion. But now the French driver is switching to Alpine F1.
“Thank you for everything you have done and achieved so far, because you have become a true leader of the AlphaTauri team,” said Max Verstappen, referring to a colleague. “That is why I have a lot of respect for you, but I also understand your desire to take on a new challenge. It’s great that you have been part of our big Red Bull family all these years, of which both teams are part.
But I am glad that new opportunities will open up for you in the future, and next year you will start a new chapter. We’re still young though, so it’s possible our paths will cross again someday! You are a great racer and I wish you all the best!”
“I try not to get too emotional when I hear words like that,” replied Pierre. “Together with all these guys – with Max, Sergio and Yuki – we have come together in an incredible way, for which I am very grateful to Red Bull and Honda. We were constantly learning and experiencing new things, because in the end life is the accumulation of a wide variety of experiences, which we can then remember for a long time. Honda has been a very important part of my life over the past few years and I will certainly never forget it.
Of course I want to thank you all, although of course we will meet you in the paddock for a long time, because I’m not disappearing anywhere!
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
