Keisuke Minatoya

Motor sport, on two and on four wheels, has been a pillar of Honda activity since the earliest days of the company’s history. Indeed, its founder, Soichiro Honda said that, “if Honda does not race, there is no Honda.” In 1959, Honda became the first Japanese company to enter the famous TT races in the Isle of Man, going on to dominate motorcycle racing in all its forms. But Soichiro Honda dreamed of winning on four wheels with a car and engine of his own design. There were no half measures and our first foray into motor racing came at the highest level, entering a team in the 1964 Formula 1 World Championship. In only our second year in the sport (1965,) Honda took its maiden victory at the Mexican Grand Prix. We withdrew from the sport at the end of 1968, as Honda’s focus switched to its burgeoning road car business. Honda returned to the F1 race tracks in 1983, for what was to be a golden era. Unlike our participation in the 60s, this time Honda took on the role of engine supplier, working with various established F1 teams. It was a recipe for success that led to 69 race wins from 1983 to ’92, including an incredibly dominant performance in 1988, when along with McLaren, we won 15 of the 16 races on that year’s calendar. In total, in this period Honda secured 5 consecutive Drivers’ Championship titles and 6 Consecutive Constructors’ crowns. Our third era from 2000 to 2008 delivered 19 podiums and a second place in the 2004 Constructors’ Championship. We returned to F1 in 2015 to tackle the stimulating challenge of racing in the sport’s first ever hybrid powered age. Our learning curve began with McLaren once again and after two seasons, Honda switched allegiance to Scuderia Toro Rosso for 2018. This year, Honda will supply two teams, sticking with the Italian squad while also powering its sister team and multiple championship winners, Red Bull Racing. The expectations and indeed the pressures are high!