Honda in Formula One facts for kids
Honda is a famous Japanese car company. They have been a big part of Formula One racing for many years, starting in 1964. Honda has been both a team that builds its own cars and engines, and also a company that just supplies engines to other teams.
Right now, since 2015, Honda makes the powerful hybrid engines for teams like Red Bull Racing and the RB Formula One Team.
Honda first joined Formula One in 1964 with their own team and engines. They won their first race in 1965 at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. After more success with driver John Surtees, Honda left the sport at the end of 1968. This was because they had trouble selling their road cars in the United States, and a sad accident happened to their driver Jo Schlesser.
Honda came back in 1983 as an engine supplier. This started a very successful time for them. They won races in 1984 and 1985. Then, Honda won the Constructors' Championship every year from 1986 to 1991 with teams like Williams and McLaren. Their engines also helped drivers like Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna, and Alain Prost win the Drivers' Championship from 1987 to 1991. Honda left again at the end of 1992 after reaching their goals.
Honda returned to Formula One again in 2000. They provided engines for the British American Racing (BAR) team. BAR-Honda finished second in the Constructors' Championship in 2004. By the end of 2005, Honda bought the BAR team and renamed it Honda for the 2006 season. They won a race in 2006 with Jenson Button at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. However, in December 2008, Honda announced they were leaving Formula One right away. This was due to a big worldwide money problem, and they hadn't had much success in 2007 and 2008.
In 2015, Honda came back as an engine supplier for McLaren. Their first engines were not very fast or reliable. So, McLaren and Honda stopped working together after three years. Toro Rosso then decided to use Honda engines for the 2018 season. Honda quickly improved their engines. Because of this, Red Bull Racing also decided to use Honda engines for the 2019 season. Honda won their first race of the hybrid era at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix. Many more wins followed with both teams. The best moment was in 2021 when Honda-powered driver Max Verstappen won the World Championship. Honda officially left the series after 2021 to focus on making cars that don't harm the environment. But they still agreed to supply engines to the Red Bull teams until the end of 2025. These Honda-built engines helped win more titles in 2022 and 2023. Honda will make a full return in 2026 with Aston Martin as their main partner. This is because new rules will make engines more sustainable.
As an engine maker, Honda has won six World Constructors' Championships and six World Drivers' Championships. They have also won over 80 Grand Prix races, making them fifth in Formula One history. Besides their success as an engine maker, their three Grand Prix wins as a team owner make them the only Japanese or Asian team to win in Formula One.
Contents
Honda's First Race Years (1964–1968)
Honda joined Formula One Grand Prix racing in 1964. This was only four years after they made their first road car. They started building their first race car, the RA271, in 1962. They surprised the European teams with their all-Japanese factory team. Only their drivers, Ronnie Bucknum and Richie Ginther, were American. For the RA271, Honda built both their own engine and car body. Only Ferrari and BRM had done this before.
In only their second year, Honda won a race. Ginther won with the RA272 at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. For the new 3.0 liter engine rules in 1966, Honda brought out the Honda RA273. This car had a powerful V12 engine. But the car's body was heavy and hard to handle. Honda won again in 1967 with the new Honda RA300, driven by John Surtees. This car won the 1967 Italian Grand Prix in its very first race. The RA300's body was partly designed by Lola in the UK. Because of this, people called the car the Hondola. The team finished fourth in the constructors' championship.
The next year's Honda RA301 had many problems. But it still finished on the podium twice and started from pole position once. The team's new Honda RA302 only raced once at the 1968 French Grand Prix. It crashed after a few laps, and driver Jo Schlesser sadly died. This accident and Honda's wish to sell more road cars in the United States led them to leave Formula One at the end of the 1968 season.
Honda's Return as Engine Supplier (1983–1992)
Honda came back to Formula One in 1983 as an engine supplier for the Spirit team. They stayed in the sport for ten years. During this time, they worked with teams like Williams (1983–87), Lotus (1987–88), McLaren (1988–92), and Tyrrell (1991). Honda often supplied engines to more than one team each season. But they didn't always give the same engines to different teams. For example, in 1987, Williams got the newest V6 engine. Lotus got an older engine from 1986.
Honda's engines were very powerful and reliable. They were seen as the key to winning races. Honda was so dedicated that they developed many different engines in a single season. Honda won six championships in a row as an engine maker. They won two with Williams (1986–1987) and four with McLaren (1988–1991). They also helped drivers win five championships in a row. These were Nelson Piquet (1987), Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990, 1991), and Alain Prost (1989). After this success, Honda left the sport again.
Honda's best year as an engine supplier was in 1988 with McLaren. The McLaren MP4/4 car, with drivers Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, had an almost perfect season. Honda built a new V6 turbo engine for that year. It was designed to work with new rules that limited fuel and turbo boost. This paid off hugely. McLaren-Honda got 15 pole positions out of 16 races. They also won 15 races. Senna won 8 races, which was a new record. Prost won 7 races. McLaren-Honda scored a record 199 points in the Constructors' Championship. Senna and Prost were the only drivers fighting for the Drivers' Championship, which Senna won.
For the new 3.5 liter engine rules in 1989, Honda introduced a new V10 engine. This engine was just as strong as the old V6 turbo. It helped McLaren win 10 races and get 15 pole positions. Prost won the 1989 Drivers' Championship. In 1990, an improved V10 engine helped Senna win the 1990 Drivers' Championship. For 1991, Honda made a brand new V12 engine. Senna used this engine to win his third World Championship. In 1992, the Williams car was much better than any other. McLaren-Honda finished second in the Constructors' Championship. Honda's last win of this time was when Gerhard Berger won the 1992 Australian Grand Prix. Honda decided to leave Formula One after 1992 because of an economic problem in Japan.
By the end of 1992, Honda-powered cars had won 71 Grand Prix races. Most of these (69) were when Honda was an engine supplier between 1983 and 1992.
Honda's Third Era (2000–2008)
Return as Engine Manufacturer (2000–2005)
Honda came back to Formula One again in 2000. They provided free engines and factory support to BAR. They also gave free engines to Jordan Grand Prix in 2001 and 2002. This led to a competition over which team would get Honda engines long-term. In 2003, Honda stopped working with Jordan to focus only on BAR. In late 2004, Honda planned to buy 45% of the BAR team. This happened in January 2005. This was after BAR's best season, where they finished second in the 2004 Constructors' Championship.
Full Team Ownership (2006–2008)
In September 2005, Honda bought the rest of the BAR team and became the only owner. The team was renamed Honda Racing F1 Team for 2006.
2006 Season
Honda's first season as a full team since 1968 started well. Jenson Button finished fourth in Bahrain and got on the podium in Malaysia. At the next race in Australia, Button got pole position. After that, the results became inconsistent. The main problem was reliability, meaning the cars often broke down. Pit-stop problems also hurt the team early on.
At the Hungaroring track, things changed. Button started 14th but drove amazingly to win his first race! His teammate, Rubens Barrichello, finished fourth. After this win, the team's performance got much better. Button scored more points than any other driver in the last six races. Barrichello also scored points regularly. The season ended well with Button finishing third in Brazil. The team finished fourth in the constructors' championship with 86 points.
2007 Season
In 2007, new rules banned tobacco advertising in Formula One. So, Honda showed a new car design on February 26, 2007. The RA107 car had a picture of planet Earth against a black space background. This was part of an environmental awareness campaign. People had mixed feelings about the new look. But Honda won an environmental award for their "Earth Car" idea.
The RA107 car was not very fast. Button and Barrichello qualified poorly at the first race in Australia. The team struggled to score points. Honda finally scored a point in the 2007 French Grand Prix with Button finishing eighth. The team ended up eighth in the constructors' championship. Their best result was fifth place in China, also by Button. Honda started hiring new people to fix the car's aerodynamic problems.
2008 Season
On July 19, 2007, it was announced that Barrichello and Button would stay as teammates for 2008. On November 12, 2007, Ross Brawn, a former Ferrari technical director, joined Honda as team principal. Honda launched their 2008 race car on January 29, 2008. The "Earth Car" had a slightly different look. Part of the car had the earth picture, and the rest was Honda's classic white color.
Honda had another disappointing year. By the middle of the season, they started working on the 2009 car instead. Despite this, Barrichello managed to get on the podium at the wet British Grand Prix. He made a great choice to use full wet weather tires at the right time.
Team Sale and Brawn GP
Honda suddenly left the sport at the end of the 2008 season. They didn't want to keep spending $300 million on the team during the worldwide money crisis. The team kept working on the car for the 2009 season while Honda tried to sell it.
The team was eventually saved by a group led by team principal Ross Brawn. It entered the 2009 season as Brawn GP. The team kept Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello as drivers. They used engines supplied by Mercedes. Honda said they would still help financially for the first year. Brawn GP won the overall title in its only season before changing its name again.
Honda's Fourth Era (2015–2021)
Return as Engine Supplier to McLaren (2015–2017)
Honda returned to Formula One as an engine supplier in 2015. They restarted their partnership with McLaren from the 1980s and 1990s. Honda's engine was designed to fit McLaren's very tight car design. In 2015, the McLaren-Honda car was very slow and unreliable. The team finished ninth in the constructors' championship. This was because Honda was new to the rules, and McLaren's car design had problems. McLaren had also asked Honda to return a year earlier than planned.
For the 2016 season, Honda made big improvements. After only six races, the team had scored 24 points, almost as many as the whole previous season. The team scored points in 13 races and finished sixth in the constructors' standings. This was a big step up.
For the 2017 season, Honda completely redesigned the engine. The new design was "high risk" but promised better performance later. The season started with many reliability problems. It took until the eighth race to score points. However, the team regularly finished in the points later in the season. They ended up ninth in the constructors' championship. The relationship between McLaren and Honda became difficult. In September 2017, they announced they would split at the end of the year.
Partnership with Red Bull Teams (2018–2021)
2018: Toro Rosso
In September 2017, Honda announced they would supply engines to Toro Rosso for the 2018 season. Honda's 2018 engine was more reliable than the year before. There were only three engine-related retirements all season. In just the second race in Bahrain, the team finished fourth with Pierre Gasly. This was Honda's best result since returning in 2015. After seeing how competitive Honda was, Red Bull Racing decided to switch to Honda engines for 2019. Honda then focused on gaining experience for 2019. The team finished the season ninth in the constructors' standings.
2019: Red Bull and Toro Rosso
In 2019, Honda supplied engines to both Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso. This was the first time they powered multiple teams since 2008. Honda and Red Bull worked closely together to make the car and engine work perfectly. 2019 was meant to be a building year for future championship wins.
At the first race in Australia, Red Bull-Honda driver Max Verstappen took third place. This was Honda's first podium since returning in 2015. Over the next seven races, Verstappen finished in the top four six times. Honda brought engine upgrades throughout the season. At the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, Verstappen won the race. This was Honda's first win in the hybrid era and their first overall since 2006. Another win followed two races later in Germany. There, Verstappen won, and Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat came third, giving Honda a double podium. At the next race in Hungary, Verstappen got his first pole position ever.
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Honda introduced another engine upgrade in Belgium. This improved performance even more. Honda's engines were especially strong at high-altitude tracks like Mexico and Brazil. In Brazil, Verstappen won from pole position. Pierre Gasly in his Toro Rosso-Honda beat Lewis Hamilton for second place. This was Honda's first 1–2 finish since 1991. Verstappen finished the 2019 season third in the championship. Red Bull finished third in the constructors' standings. Toro Rosso had their best season with two podiums and sixth place. Honda had the fewest engine failures of all manufacturers that year.
2020–2021: Red Bull and AlphaTauri
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For 2020, the Toro Rosso team was renamed AlphaTauri. The 2020 season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant no engine upgrades during the season. The Red Bull-Honda car was the second fastest. Verstappen scored five podiums in a row, including a win at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. At the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly won his first Formula One race. This made Honda the first engine maker to win with different teams in the hybrid era. Verstappen was again the top Honda-powered driver, finishing third in the championship. Red Bull was second, and AlphaTauri was seventh. Honda was the only engine maker other than Mercedes to win races or pole positions that season.
In October 2020, Honda announced they would leave Formula One at the end of the 2021 season. They wanted to focus on new car technologies for a cleaner environment. But Honda was still determined to win the championship in 2021. So, they brought out a brand new engine design. The 2021 Honda engine was much better, more reliable, and smaller. It was very competitive against Mercedes. Verstappen took pole position at the first race in Bahrain and finished second. He then won the next race in Emilia Romagna, becoming a title contender. He won again in Monaco and took the lead in the championship.
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Verstappen won the French, Styrian, and Austrian Grand Prix races. This was the first time Honda had won five races in a row since 1988. Verstappen was involved in crashes in Britain and Hungary, losing the championship lead. For the Belgian Grand Prix, Honda introduced a new energy storage part to boost performance. Verstappen then won the Belgian and Dutch Grand Prix races, regaining the lead. He won the United States and Mexico races. After three second-place finishes, he went into the last race in Abu Dhabi tied on points with Hamilton. He won the race on the last lap, becoming World Champion! It was Honda's first championship win in thirty years. Verstappen was the first Honda-powered champion since Ayrton Senna in 1991. AlphaTauri also had their best points total. Honda ended the season with the most wins.
Honda's Fifth Era (2026 onwards)
In December 2022, Honda said they were interested in making engines for Formula One again in 2026. This is when new rules for engines will start.
In May 2023, Honda confirmed they would join in 2026. They announced they would supply their hybrid engines to Aston Martin. This will be after seven and eight years of working with the Red Bull-owned teams. The new rules will make engines more electric and use 100% sustainable fuels. This helped convince Honda to come back fully. Honda had worked with the Aston Martin team before in 2001 and 2002 when it was called Jordan Grand Prix.
Other Involvement
Mugen Era and 1999 Project
From 1993 to 1998, Honda was only in Formula One through its partner, Mugen Motorsports. Mugen supplied engines to several teams. Mugen-powered cars won four Grand Prix races. Even though Mugen funded the engines at first, Honda engineers worked on them. By 1998, the engines were basically Honda factory engines. In 1998, Honda thought about joining Formula One as a full team. They even built a test car, the RA099. This car was tested in 1999 by Jos Verstappen. The team impressed people in testing, beating some more experienced teams. But the project was stopped after the technical director sadly died. Honda decided to become an engine supplier for BAR instead, starting in 2000.
Continued Engine Supply to Red Bull (2022–2025)
| Formula One World Championship career | |
|---|---|
| First entry | 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2019 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Races entered | ( starts) |
| Chassis | Red Bull Racing, AlphaTauri, RB |
| Constructors' Championships | 1 (2023) |
| Drivers' Championships |
2 (2023, 2024) |
After deciding to leave Formula One at the end of 2021, Honda made a deal with Red Bull. They would keep building and supplying engines to Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. This was possible because engine development was frozen for 2022. This allowed Honda to reduce its F1 work and focus on other projects. They still supported Red Bull as Honda RBPT (Honda Red Bull Powertrains). The agreement was first for 2022. It was later extended to the end of the 2025 season. Honda kept all the rights to their engines.
In 2022, the Honda-designed engines were called Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) units. This showed Honda's official exit. Honda's logos on the cars were also smaller. At the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, Honda and Red Bull announced they would work more closely. Honda logos returned to both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri cars. Honda returned as a named engine supplier for 2023, with engines called Honda RBPT.
Honda's 2022 engine design was strong and reliable. It helped Red Bull have the best straight-line speed. Verstappen won a record 15 races and his second title in Japan. The team won the constructors' title in the United States. At the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull won their 12th race in a row. This broke McLaren's record from 1988. This meant Honda also broke its own record, as the 1988 McLaren car also used a Honda engine.
Honda will not continue its partnership with Red Bull after 2025. Red Bull has already decided to work with Ford from 2026. Honda then announced they would fully return to F1 in 2026, working with Aston Martin.
Images for kids
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Honda logo
Statistics
Formula One Chassis Results
- Winning percentage: 3.4%
(italic text means not a factory team; bold text means championships won)
| Year | Name | Car | Engine | Tyres | No. | Drivers | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 |  Honda R & D Company |
RA271 | RA271E 1.5 V12 | D |  Ronnie Bucknum |
0 | NC | |
| 1965 | Honda R & D Company |
RA272 | RA272E 1.5 V12 | G | Ronnie Bucknum Richie Ginther |
11 | 6th | |
| 1966 | Honda R & D Company |
RA273 | RA273E 3.0 V12 | G | Ronnie Bucknum Richie Ginther |
3 | 8th | |
| 1967 | Honda R & D Company |
RA273 RA300 |
RA273E 3.0 V12 | F |  John Surtees |
20 | 4th | |
| 1968 | Honda R & D Company |
RA300 RA301 RA302 |
RA273E 3.0 V12 RA301E 3.0 V12 RA302E 3.0 V8 |
F | David Hobbs Jo Schlesser John Surtees |
14 | 6th | |
 Joakim Bonnier Racing Team |
RA301 | RA301E 3.0 V12 | G |  Joakim Bonnier |
||||
| 1969 – 2005: Honda did not compete as a chassis constructor. | ||||||||
| 2006 | Lucky Strike Honda Racing F1 Team |
RA106 | RA806E 2.4 V8 | M | 11. 12. |
 Rubens Barrichello Jenson Button |
86 | 4th |
| 2007 | Honda Racing F1 Team |
RA107 | RA807E 2.4 V8 | B | 7. 8. |
Jenson Button Rubens Barrichello |
6 | 8th |
| 2008 | Honda Racing F1 Team |
RA108 | RA808E 2.4 V8 | B | 16. 17. |
Jenson Button Rubens Barrichello |
14 | 9th |
Formula One Engine Results
World Drivers' Championship Wins
| Driver | Season(s) | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson Piquet |
1987 | 1 |
| Ayrton Senna |
1988, 1990–1991 | 3 |
 Alain Prost |
1989 | 1 |
 Max Verstappen |
2021 | 1 |
Note: This table only includes engines/power units which were badged as "Honda":
* Max Verstappen won the 2022 Drivers' Championship with an RBPT-badged Honda power unit
* Max Verstappen won the 2023 Drivers' Championship with a Honda RBPT power unit
* Max Verstappen won the 2024 Drivers' Championship with a Honda RBPT power unit
World Constructors' Championship Wins
| Constructor | Season(s) | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Williams-Honda |
1986–1987 | 2 |
| McLaren-Honda |
1988–1991 | 4 |
Note: This table only includes engines/power units which were badged as "Honda":
* Red Bull Racing-RBPT won the 2022 Constructors' Championship with a rebadged Honda power unit
* Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT won the 2023 Constructors' Championship with a Honda RBPT power unit
Grand Prix Results
| Constructor | Season(s) | Total wins | First win | Last win | Pole positions | First pole | Last pole |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda |
1964–1968, 2006–2008 | 3 | 1965 Mexican Grand Prix | 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix | 2 | 1968 Italian Grand Prix | 2006 Australian Grand Prix |
| Spirit |
1983 | 0 | – | – | 0 | – | – |
| Williams |
1983–1987 | 23 | 1984 Dallas Grand Prix | 1987 Mexican Grand Prix | 19 | 1985 French Grand Prix | 1987 Mexican Grand Prix |
| Lotus |
1987–1988 | 2 | 1987 Monaco Grand Prix | 1987 Detroit Grand Prix | 1 | 1987 San Marino Grand Prix | 1987 San Marino Grand Prix |
| McLaren |
1988–1992, 2015–2017 | 44 | 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix | 1992 Australian Grand Prix | 53 | 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix | 1992 Canadian Grand Prix |
| Tyrrell |
1991 | 0 | – | – | 0 | – | – |
| BAR |
2000–2005 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 2004 San Marino Grand Prix | 2005 Canadian Grand Prix |
 Jordan |
2001–2002 | 0 | – | – | 0 | – | – |
| Super Aguri |
2006–2008 | 0 | – | – | 0 | – | – |
 Toro Rosso |
2018–2019 | 0 | – | – | 0 | – | – |
 Red Bull |
2019–2021 | 16 | 2019 Austrian Grand Prix | 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | 13 | 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix | 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| AlphaTauri |
2020–2021 | 1 | 2020 Italian Grand Prix | 2020 Italian Grand Prix | 0 | – | – |
| Total | 1964–2021 | 89 | 1965 Mexican Grand Prix | 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | 90 | 1968 Italian Grand Prix | 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
Note: This table only includes engines/power units which were badged as "Honda"; it does not include the 1992–2000 Mugen Honda engines, the 2022 RBPT power units (which were rebadged Hondas) or the 2023–2024 Honda RBPT power units.
See also
In Spanish: Honda en Fórmula 1 para niños
- Honda in motorsport
- Mugen Motorsports
- Honda Grand Prix results
