Honda F1 Team

Honda withdrew from F1 racing in 2008.

Honda F1 racing team is run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, and is based in Brackley, United Kingdom. Honda uses the former British American Racing’s facilities, which they purchased recently in 2005. The actual engines are built at Honda R&D facility in Tochigi, Japan. Nick Fry runs the Honda team and has Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button driving for the team.

Honda first took part in Formula One racing in 1963, but like Renault, has over the years left and re-entered the sport as engine supplier and as a constructor. From 1993 to 1998 Honda supplied engines through its associates Mugen Motorsports, to teams like Prost and Jordan and Ligier. By 1999, Mugen-powered cars had won a total of four Grand Prixs. Honda team has consistently used the same white racing color that it first used in the 1960s up until this present moment.

Honda took all by surprise when it entered the Grand Prix in 1963 and then three years later brought out their first road car. Another surprise came in the form of their all-Japanese factory team, excepting their American drivers Richie Ginther and Ronnie Bucknum, considering that all other Formula One garages where predominantly European. They also startled the other teams because of having built their own chassis and engine, something only BRM and Ferrari had ever done.

In 2004 Honda bought up 45% of the BAR team owned by British American Tobacco. At this point BAR had just completed its best season and was nominated second place in the constructors standing in 2004. The following year Honda purchased the other 55% of BAR, and raced in 2006 as Honda Racing F1 Team. They entered the RA106 with the RA806E V8 Honda Engine, an engine similar to the previous engines used throughout its F1 history.

The Honda team had a roller coaster season, with Jenson Button taking his first win at the Hungarian Grand Prix and Rubens Barrichello performing steadily throughout the year. Although the team finished the season in fourth place it had poor reliability throughout 2006 and its performance early in the pit stops was nothing to talk about.

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