The highs and lows of Honda's rollercoaster F1 journey

The highs and lows of Honda's rollercoaster F1 journey

From The Race F1 Rewind by The Race Media

November 14, 2025 · 1h 17m · Season 4 · Episode 6

About this episode

This episode explores Honda's tumultuous journey in Formula 1, highlighting key eras and partnerships.

The latest episode of And Colossally That’s History tells the rollercoaster story of Honda’s involvement in Formula 1. Join Matt Bishop and Richard Williams as they explain how founder Soichuro Honda’s deep love of motor racing led him to enter a car in F1 in 1964, barely a year after the first Honda road car had left the factory. The Japanese team’s early forays into Grand Prix racing - met with scepticism by some - are discussed, as well as how Honda became race winners before leaving F1 shortly afterwards - something that’s been a feature of Honda’s involvement in the top level of racing. There’s also discussion about Honda’s second era, when it powered Williams to championships before shifting allegiances to McLaren where even greater domination followed, as well as one of F1’s most enduring alliances with a man beloved by Honda: Ayrton Senna.  Matt and Richard also reflect on Honda’s third F1 era, when Honda became a fully fledged manufacturer again, before withdrawing again and watching Brawn take its cars to championship glory. And finally, the present Honda era, which began with a disastrous rekindling with McLaren but morphed into more title winning success, this…

People in this episode

Hosts: Matt Bishop, Richard Williams

Topics covered

  • Honda
  • Formula 1
  • motor racing
  • F1 history
  • team dynamics
  • championships

Keywords

  • Honda
  • Formula 1
  • Ayrton Senna
  • McLaren
  • Williams
  • Brawn
  • Red Bull
  • F1 history
  • motor racing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Honda, Williams, McLaren, Brawn, Red Bull

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