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 Formula One 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 power a Constructors’ World Champion.
In 2001, Honda extended its Formula One commitment to develop a ‘works’ relationship with Jordan Grand Prix, for a two-team assault on the World Championship, which it continues to build on in 2002.