Honda has been in and out of Formula 1 many times over the past 60 years, it depends business situation. “Business goes well sometimes, and it goes well sometimes,” said CEO Global Global CEO Toshihiro Mibe told the circle, including the viewer, in Mexico City last week, ahead of the F1 World Championship Grand Prix. “So, sometimes we stop [racing] Focusing on the main business,” said the translator.
The following year, Honda will return to F1 as a standalone team in 2026, as F1 grows in global popularity and travel with the Japanese auto that converts consumer cars to EVS, interest and internal integration cars. With F1 growing in global popularity as a more expensive and expensive racing series, Honda’s return is not just about chasing podiums. It’s a business venture calculated to combine performance, coverage, and product compatibility at a time when automakers and consumers are redefining innovation.
Honda’s approach to racing remains focused on building brand recognition. The company began its journey in motorcycle racing in the 1960s, when founder Soouichiro believed that entering F1 was the only way for a small Japanese carmaker to be taken seriously on the world stage. At that time, Honda had started building cars – let alone finding the powerful machines needed in F1.
Honda won its first F1 race in 1965 with the ra272, a car it brought back to Mexico City last week to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the victory. Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda took on the challenge of driving an F1 car around Mexico’s 26 track
In the 1980s, Honda established the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) to focus on motorcycle racing and prove its engineering prowess. Its racing technology eventually trickled down to consumer bikes. In 2022, HRC absorbed four-wheeled racing programs, including Indycar and F1, to “provide robustness” through vehicle damage and investment.
Honda officially exited F1 at the end of the 2021 season to focus on EV development. But the company is now preparing for a full return in 2026 as the power unit supplier to the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 team.
“The reason we decided to participate in F1 is that our business is focused on North America, and because of Netflix, F1 has been taken away,” said Mibe. “With the new homologation, and our strong relationship between F1 and the US, we can use that for our business.”
Honda’s largest market is the US, where it holds about 9 percent of the car market. This week, American Honda reported strong October sales, with total US sales up 3.6% year-over-year. Growth is driven by demand for hybrid vehicles, including the Accord and Passport, as well as hybrid models like the popular CR-V hybrid. Notably, Honda sold a record 30,471 electric vehicles in October.
The race track is a sandbox of new tech
Racing has always been a proving ground for carmakers to push the limits of technology. F1, known for its blazing speed, high heat loads and extreme engineering precision, is the perfect place to test developments in everything from batteries to upgrades.
The demands of F1-excessive acceleration, punishing temperatures, and Ultra-puzle-push power recovery, packaging and durability at levels far beyond what consumers experience. However, most of those lessons eventually find their way into everyday cars.
Honda’s decision to return to F1 was driven in part by the upcoming regulatory change, said Ikuo Hatishi, general manager of HRC’s Automobile Racing Division. From 2026, all F1 power units must be 50 percent electric and 50 percent internal combustion, powered by sustainable fuel. That balance aligns with Honda’s long-term focus on hybrid and battery technology. At the same time, it emphasizes that Honda, like many major automakers, continues to rely on internal cleaning technology between EVS titles and switching preferences.
“The technology we’re using in F1 won’t translate directly to consumer cars,” said Chatishi. “But a lot of what we’re learning on the track can come from consumer cars,” he added, citing advances in battery technology and efficient operation from high-power magnets.
