Honda Celebrates 60 Years of F1 at Monterey Car Week with RA272 at Laguna Seca

August 2, 2024 

— MONTEREY, Calif.

• Honda heritage test driver Hikaru Miyagi will be behind the wheel of Honda’s first race winning F1 car at the 2024 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
• Today marks the 60th anniversary of Honda’s first F1 entry at the 1964 German Grand Prix
• Historic V12-powered Honda RA272 earned victory at the 1965 Mexico Grand Prix as the first race car from a Japanese automaker to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix
• Honda engines have powered eight Formula One Drivers’ Championships including three consecutive championships from 2021 to 2023

Honda is celebrating 60 years since its first entry into Formula One competition this summer with its first race-winning F1 machine, the Honda RA272, attending global special events including the 2024 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on August 14-17. Renowned for its innovative engineering, the Honda RA272 shocked the world in November 1965, as the first race car of a Japanese automaker to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix, proving Honda engine and chassis technologies were world-class.

Powered by a transverse-mounted 1.5-liter V12 engine capable of 13,000 rpm, the legendary Honda RA272 will perform exhibition laps around Laguna Seca with Honda heritage test driver Hikaru Miyagi behind the wheel. The RA272 ran most recently at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2024 (July 11-14) piloted by Miyagi-san and current F1 race driver Yuki Tsunoda.

Soichiro Honda, a former racer himself, believed in competition as a means to improve his company, its engineers and its products. A key example of the Honda “Challenging Spirit” in action, racing is ingrained in the corporate culture of Honda, more than any other automaker. Throughout its history, on two wheels and four, Honda has raced and won at the highest levels of motorsports all over the world.

Over the decades, Honda engines have powered four drivers to a combined eight Formula One Drivers’ Championships. Engines created by Honda have twice set F1 records for the most race wins in a season, including a historic 2023 season, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez winning all but one race in dominant fashion. This beat the previous win-rate record set by McLaren Honda in 1988 with drivers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. 

The mid-engine Honda RA272 won the 1965 Mexico Grand Prix with Los Angeles born driver Richie Ginther at the wheel. The victory came barely a year after the Honda team’s debut at the German Grand Prix in August 1964, with the V12-powered RA271. For more on the origins of Honda F1 Racing click here.

In 2026, the next era of Honda F1 begins, as Honda will enter into a works partnership to supply power units to the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team.  The new Honda power units will be compliant with the 2026 F1 power unit regulations, which will triple the electrical power provided by the hybrid system. Honda will hone its e-motor and battery technologies through new F1 challenges and feed the information learned in competition back to mass production.

About American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Established in Los Angeles in 1959, and today headquartered in Torrance, Calif., American Honda Motor Co., Inc., leads the U.S. sales, marketing, service, distribution and export of Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda powersports, power equipment and marine products, along with design, planning and market research for products that are produced at Honda production facilities in North America.

Learn more with the Honda Digital FactBook. 

About Honda Racing Corporation USA
Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since its founding in 1993 as Honda Performance Development (HPD). In January 2024, HPD became HRC US, combining with HRC Japan to strengthen the company’s overall motorsports capabilities. From pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA sports cars to commercial racing programs, HRC US leads all Honda and Acura high-performance racing programs in North America and will be involved in Formula One power unit development and race support related to the next phase of Honda starting in 2026.

HRC US specializes in the design and development of powertrain, chassis, electronics, and performance parts, as well as technical and race support. The company also offers parts and race support to Honda and Acura amateur and professional motorsports racers; and is continually expanding its palette of racing programs that make Honda racing products available to all racing styles, from karting and quarter midgets to the highest levels of professional racing. www.hondaracing-us.honda.com