Honda entered Formula One in 1964, just four years after producing their first road car, making their debut with the all-Japanese RA271. The team was notable for its factory approach, building their own engine and chassis — something only Ferrari and BRM were also doing among active teams at the time.
In only their second year, Honda reached the top step of the podium when Richie Ginther won the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix in the RA272. For the new 3.0-litre regulations introduced from 1966, Honda developed the RA273, which featured a well-designed V12 engine but suffered from an overly heavy chassis. The following season's RA300, partly designed by Lola in the UK and nicknamed the "Hondola" by the press, delivered Honda's second win at the 1967 Italian Grand Prix on its very first Formula One outing, driven by John Surtees.
The 1968 season ended the first era. The Honda RA302 appeared at Rouen-les-Essarts and crashed fatally after a few laps, killing driver Jo Schlesser. This accident, combined with Honda's desire to focus on selling road cars in the United States, prompted their withdrawal at season's end.
Honda returned in 1983 as an engine supplier to Spirit, and the relationship quickly became the most dominant in the sport. After initial wins with Williams in 1984 and 1985, Honda turbocharged engines powered Williams to back-to-back Constructors' Championships in 1986 and 1987, then switched their primary focus to McLaren.
The McLaren-Honda partnership produced one of the most dominant seasons in Formula One history in 1988. Paired with drivers Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in the McLaren MP4/4, Honda's RA168E engine powered the team to 15 wins from 16 races. McLaren claimed 199 points in the Constructors' Championship, a then-record margin of 134 points over second-placed Ferrari. Honda went on to win the Constructors' Championship with McLaren in 1989, 1990 and 1991, while Senna claimed three Drivers' titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991, Prost one in 1989, and Nelson Piquet one in 1987 with Williams.
Honda powered 71 Grand Prix wins by the end of the 1992 season. They withdrew after that year following the burst of the Japanese asset price bubble.
Honda returned in 2000 supplying engines to British American Racing (BAR). BAR-Honda achieved second place in the 2004 Constructors' Championship, and Honda purchased full ownership of the team by the end of 2005. As Honda Racing F1 Team in 2006, Jenson Button won the Hungarian Grand Prix — Honda's sole victory of this period as a constructor.
After two disappointing seasons in 2007 and 2008, Honda announced their withdrawal in December 2008 amid the global financial crisis. The team was taken over by Ross Brawn in a management buyout, entering 2009 as Brawn GP with Mercedes engines before being purchased outright by Mercedes to become their works team from 2010.
Honda returned as power unit supplier to McLaren from 2015, providing their RA Series hybrid engines. The early seasons were troubled by unreliability and poor performance, and after three difficult years the partnership ended. Toro Rosso then took on Honda engines for 2018, and the improved relationship prompted Red Bull Racing to join as a Honda works team in 2019.
The partnership recovered spectacularly. At the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen gave Honda their first win in the turbo-hybrid era. In the 2021 season, Honda brought forward an all-new power unit design, the RA621H. Verstappen fought Lewis Hamilton to the final lap of the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi, where he overtook Hamilton following a late safety car restart to claim both the race and the World Championship — Honda's first Drivers' title in thirty years.
Honda officially withdrew at the end of 2021 but continued to supply Red Bull-owned teams under Honda RBPT branding through 2025, with Verstappen winning further championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Honda confirmed a full-scale return for the 2026 season as works power unit supplier to Aston Martin, drawn partly by new regulations mandating 100% sustainable fuels and an increased electrical power contribution. The partnership revived a connection that dated to Honda's supply of Jordan Grand Prix in 2001 and 2002.
Honda's influence on Formula One spans the sport's most significant regulatory transitions — from the original 1.5-litre and 3.0-litre eras through the turbo age and into the V6 hybrid era. Their six Constructors' and six Drivers' Championships as an engine supplier place them fifth in Formula One history, while their three wins as a constructor make them uniquely the only team from Japan or Asia to have stood on the top step as a team owner.