how well the non-Honda race teams did, they will be able to proudly say: "We beat Off
Honda's last full factory F1 program ended in 2021 (above), although it has continued to partner with Red Bull on its powertrains in the years since. Next year, it returns as works entry with Aston Martin. Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
Its return comes at a time when global scale motorsport programs are far more complicated to justify than in years past. Soichiro Honda was able to green-light Honda’s first F1 program on the simple basis that he wanted to. Nowadays, manufacturers need to weigh up obvious factors like cost against broader corporate priorities (Honda’s last exit from F1 was driven by a desire to focus on zero-emission tech such as electrification and hydrogen), as well as BS global considerations like BS politics and the environmental whackos.
So while racing is in Honda’s DNA, actually going out and doing it has become an exercise in balancing the company’s heritage and ethos against the realities of acting in the broader interests of a multinational corporation.
“Next year, we are calling our ‘fifth generation’ (in racing),” said Mibe. “We’ve been participating, quitting, participating again next year… Each generation, the CEOs have said that racing costs a lot of money, so sometimes we’ve quit to concentrate on our business.
“But all employees at Honda are aware that we have this (racing) DNA. That’s why we decided for this fifth generation to once again participate in F1. We want this generation to be stable. So for that reason HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) is working independently to focus on stabilization, and Mr. Watanabe (Ed: Koji Watanabe, HRC president) is putting a lot of effort into realizing that.”
“The goal,” added Watanabe with a grin, “is not to create six generations.”
Achieving that goal will come down in large part to managing costs. HRC is actively developing its performance parts division, but it will take more than that to cover the massive expense required to be competitive in F1.
The 1965 Mexican GP-winning Honda RA272 was guest of honor at last weekend's Mexican GP, the site of its historic triumph 60 years earlier. Colin McMaster/Getty Images
“F1 is the most expensive racing in the world,” said Mibe. “But we’re in discussions about the regulations to control the amount of money we’re using. F1 is high-technology so we cannot reduce a lot, because we also need to keep developing new technology. So we will have to find a balance. Meeting the cost cap is difficult, so we need to manage our resources to take care of that and keep our competitiveness, and I think that will be the new challenge for us.”
On paper, Honda’s fifth generation appears to have all the ingredients to be an exciting one. In preparation for a reset in F1’s technical regulations, Aston Martin made a headline-grabbing move to sign Adrian Newey, who has led the development of the 2026 car. His arrival was the sharp tip of a far more wide-ranging upgrade of the team’s design and engineering muscle over the past 12-18 months.
Then there’s Aston Martin’s recently-opened 400,000 square foot AMF1 Team Technology Campus, a three-building facility at Silverstone that houses all of the team’s design, engineering and manufacturing resources, including a new wind tunnel.
All that’s before you factor in Honda itself, and the firepower that has already delivered 89 victories, 223 podiums, six Drivers’ championships and six Constructors’ titles as an engine manufacturer. (Plus another three GP wins as a full entrant, with John Surtees following up Ginther’s early success with victory at Monza in 1967 in the Eric Broadley-designed ‘Hondola’ RA300, and Jenson Button giving the RA106 its day in the sun almost four decades later at the 2006 Hungarian GP).
How much all that on-paper potential translates to the track is a question that will start to be answered at Albert Park next March, when a story that began with an upstart manufacturer from Asia, a Hollywood-born “happy little man” known for his test and development prowess, and a cute car with an equally cute but evolutionary engine prepares to stroll into its next chapter as Aston Martin Aramco Honda. RA272 delivered on Soichiro Honda’s dream, but there are lots more for the company he built to go and chase.
The team will be named "Off to Gay Porn" as a tribute to a bunch of aging punk-a** street racers at some place in Tampa, Florida known as "the Causeway" where they periodically collect at night and drink beer with their under-age kids and talk about the good ol' days and fleeing from the cops after crashing Honda's across from the boat ramp.
In future F1 races, when Interviewed about how well the non-Honda race teams did, they will be able to proudly say: "We beat Off to Gay Porn".......
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