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Honda entered its first Grand Prix, alongside Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Lotus, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati, with a complete car in 1964, just one year after mass car production had started. In October 1965, after just 10 races, Honda won its first GP in Mexico with Richie Ginther at the wheel of the RA272.
By 1968, Honda had recorded two Grand Prix victories, and had also starred in the F2 championship in which Jack Brabham had claimed 11 consecutive victories in 1966. But despite being unable to fulfil Soichiro Honda's dream of winning the F1 world championship, the company announced a 'temporary withdrawal' from the sport. Honda's return to Formula 1 in the 1980s followed a run of success in Formula 2 that began in 1980. In only its second season, the Ralt-Honda won the Formula 2 championship in Europe and took Satoru Nakajima to victory in the Japanese championship.
The second generation of F1 began with Stefan Johansson in the Spirit-Honda at the 1983 British Grand Prix, but engine supply soon switched to the Williams team. In the course of the next nine seasons, Honda was to record a further 69 Formula One victories.
Two successes were gained with Honda engines in Lotus cars, and Honda engines in Williams cars won 23 Grands Prix, a Drivers' World Championship and two Constructors' World Championships between 1984 and 1987.
From 1988 to 1992 Honda supplied engines to McLaren, winning 44 Grands Prix and the Constructors' and Drivers' titles four years in succession, a run of success unprecedented in modern motor racing. To add to the titles, the McLaren-Honda MP4/4 dominated the 1988 season winning 15 out of 16 races, a feat unlikely ever to be repeated.
The decision to withdraw from Grand Prix racing at the end of 1992 was taken in light of the company having achieved all the targets that had been set for the programme, but within eight years, the challenge of top level motor sport proved too great for Honda to resist. Honda's third generation has brought new challenges and new relationships with new teams. No longer just an engine supplier, Honda engineers also began working on chassis technology with British American Racing as Honda returned to F1 racing in 2000.
The objectives of Honda's new venture into F1 were clearly set out to develop the skills of young engineers, to develop new technologies and once again to establish Honda as the dominant force in Grand Prix racing. For 2001, Honda joins forces with Jordan Grand Prix for a two-team assault on the World Championship.
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