- 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of Honda’s first F1 victory in 1965
- F1 is the stage for the world’s most advanced technological development, not only in hardware but also in software
- HRC UK was established in Milton Keynes, England, and began operations in 2024
- F1’s popularity grows in North America, Honda’s key market, and the number of young fans is increasing significantly, with a total of more than 1.5 billion TV viewers per year
- Total revenue of F1 reached $3.2 billion in 2023, growing into one of the world’s leading sports businesses
- Honda expanding BtoC and BtoB touchpoints for the continued hosting of the F1 Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit
- Honda is considering memorabilia business, plans to sell parts from the V10 F1 engine used by Ayrton Senna as an example
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda), its race management subsidiary Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), and Suzuka Circuit management subsidiary Honda Mobilityland Corporation (HML) today conducted an F1 pre-season briefing for the FIA*1 Formula One World Championship (F1) 2025 season. HRC President and Representative Director Koji Watanabe, HRC F1 Project Lead Tetsushi Kakuda, and HML President and Representative Director Tsuyoshi Saito attended the meeting. The following is a summary of the meeting:
Honda and F1
60 years since Honda’s first F1 victory
In 1964, Honda began its challenges in F1. At the time, Honda was only in its 2nd year of automobiles business. The seemingly reckless challenge symbolized Honda’s corporate culture of setting high goals and boldly taking on new challenges. In the 1964 season, Honda raced in three grands prix, but retired in each race. In the last round of the following season, 1965, the Mexican Grand Prix, which was held at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level on a circuit where air was thin and harsh on the engines, the Honda-developed fuel injection system proved to be extremely effective, enabling the Honda RA272 racing car to lead from start to finish, claiming Honda’s first F1 victory. 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of Honda’s first F1 victory.
Modern F1 evolution and HRC’s operations
Since Honda’s first F1 victory, 60 years have passed and the times, and environment, have dramatically changed. In 2014, F1 introduced hybrid technology, replacing the “engine” with the “power unit” (PU). In the eight years between 2008, the last year of Honda’s third F1 era, and 2016, the 2nd year of Honda’s hybrid F1 Power Unit, maximum output has increased by more than 200 horsepower, while the amount of fuel required to produce maximum output has been reduced by one-thirds. Modern F1 has become a stage for technological development that determines the world’s best hardware, pushing thermal efficiency to the limit in order to maximize the conversion of fuel energy into driving power.
Another major change is the evolution of digital technology: information from hundreds of sensors attached to F1 cars is instantly sent to HRC Sakura in Japan, where it is analyzed and applied to the car’s next settings. The number of parameters acquired has increased from about 3,000 during Honda’s third F1 era to more than 20,000 today. Without analyzing this data to understand what is happening to the PU and maximize its performance, it is impossible to win in F1. For example, even during a race, changes to the PU’s energy management are made in real time. The software used for these analyses and settings is also developed by HRC. F1 is the world’s most advanced digital battle, not only in terms of hardware, but also in software.
In addition, modern F1 has seen an increase in the number of races, and by 2025 there will be 24 rounds around the world, of which one-third will be in Europe. Because of the complex operations required to compete a season, HPD in the United States was reorganized as HRC US in 2023, followed by the establishment of HRC UK in Milton Keynes, England, in 2024. HRC UK will continue to be an important base for Honda F1 activities after 2026, when Honda will join forces with the Aston Martin Formula One Team.
Significance of Honda’s F1 challenge: developing engineers
F1 races are held every two weeks, or sometimes every week, and teams must set targets and build up performance one horsepower at a time in a limited period, and actual races demand ultra-high speed and precision down to one-thousandth of a second. Experience that can only be gained in such an environment greatly contributes to the development of engineers.
As F1 is state-of-the-art, it is not possible to apply F1 technology directly to products. However, engineers with F1 experience are the driving force behind the creation of new value for Honda as a whole, through their involvement in development such as e:HEV hybrid technology for mass-production vehicles, and eVTOL.
2025: the last season with Red Bull, onto 2026
2025 is the final year of Honda’s collaboration with the Red Bull Group in F1, which began in 2018. The first win in Honda’s fourth F1 era at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, a 1-2 finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Scuderia AlphaTauri’s win at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, and winning historic 21 out of 22 rounds in 2023, were all achieved with Red Bull Group. In addition, PUs with Honda technology contributed to Max Verstappen’s drivers’ championship titles for four consecutive years starting in 2021. In 2025, which will be the last season in partnership with Red Bull, Honda will continue to fight until the very end to win the championship once again.
In the 2026 season, new regulations for both the chassis and PU will be introduced. Currently, the maximum power ratio of the engine and motor is approximately 80 percent engine to 20 percent motor, but in 2026 it will be almost even, and the amount of fuel that can be used per time unit will be further reduced. In addition, 100 percent carbon-neutral fuel will be mandatory. Furthermore, cost cap rules will apply to the development of these power unit technologies.
These three new regulations are in line with Honda’s carbon-neutral direction as F1 looks toward a sustainable future. The new regulations are a high hurdle to overcome, but Honda’s engineers will continue development efforts toward the 2026 season.
Stronger Honda brand through F1 activities
Growth of F1: rising popularity in North America
F1 began in 1950 and through its 75 year journey, it has established itself as the world’s pinnacle category of automobile racing. In addition to being a sporting and technological competition, F1 has become one of the world’s most popular forms of entertainment. A total of 6.5 million people watch races at the circuits in 2023, and TV viewers exceed 1.5 billion annually, with global fans said to number more than 700 million*2.
Part of the rising F1’s popularity can be attributed to growth in North America due to the acquisition of Formula One Group by US-based Liberty Media in 2016, and Netflix documentaries. In 2025, five of the 24 rounds are scheduled to be held in North America.
In addition, the total revenue of F1 in 2023 reached 3.2 billion dollars*3, an increase of 25% from the previous year, growing into a huge sports business. The expansion of younger fans is particularly remarkable: in the 2022 season, the number of spectators under the age of 25 increased by 21% compared to the previous year*4, and in 2023, the number of followers on official F1 social media reached over 70 million*5, a significant increase from 18.5 million in 2018*6.
North America is a key market for Honda, which believes that F1 activities can make a significant contribution to improving its brand strength.
Furthermore, from a business-to-business (BtoB) perspective, the growing global popularity of F1 has led to an increasing number of diverse partners and is attracting attention from a variety of industries, including IT, finance, and fashion.
Situation and future possibilities in Japan
Due in part to the growing interest in F1 overseas, the number of foreign visitors to the F1 Japanese Grand Prix grew from 10,500, or 9% of all visitors in 2019, to 50,000, or 22% of all visitors in 2024. The total number of visitors to the Japanese Grand Prix in 2024 was 229,000, including visitors from overseas, with attendance steadily increasing. However, while the average age of Grand Prix visitors for the entire F1 series is 37 years old, the average age of Japan-domestic visitors is 48 years old, and visitors to the Japanese Grand Prix are mainly from the generation that experienced the F1 boom between the late 1980s to the early 1990s. In addition, while the number of companies involved in F1 from many industries globally is increasing, the number of Japanese companies involved is extremely small.
Honda believes, however, that this situation also has many possibilities. Individual values and the social environment have changed dramatically since the F1 boom of around 30 years ago, and Honda believes that F1, which has grown to become worldwide premier entertainment, can attract new fans. There is also the possibility for Japanese companies to use the F1 Japanese Grand Prix as a management strategy for worldwide marketing, hospitality, and business matching purposes.
To ensure Suzuka Circuit Honda’s home race track in Japan, to continue to host the F1 Grand Prix in the future, the Honda Group aims to maximize the appeal and value of F1 connecting with race fans, future fans, and companies that work together to promote F1 in Japan, and accelerate initiatives that will lead to the next generation.
Initiatives to expand F1 fans and business in Japan
F1 Japanese Grand Prix: Increasing F1 touch points and holding of business conferences
The F1 Japanese Grand Prix was first held at Suzuka Circuit in 1987. It has attracted a total of 8.8 million visitors to date, and will be held for the 35th time on April 6 this year.
HML is working to increase the number of touch points with F1 from a BtoC perspective, so that more people, not just circuit visitors, can get involved with F1. In November 2024, Honda invited Kabuki actor Danjuro Ichikawa as the official ambassador of the Japanese Grand Prix, and held a public viewing event of the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix and an F1 car exhibition at the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. For the 2025 F1 Japanese Grand Prix, Honda plans to have Danjuro and Shinnosuke Ichikawa perform a Kabuki dance at the pre-race opening ceremony.
From a BtoB perspective, HML is also collaborating with other companies in the area of sustainability, including the introduction of renewable energy through solar on-site PPAs and initiatives to eliminate single-use plastics in order to achieve carbon neutrality for the Suzuka Circuit and the F1 Japanese Grand Prix. To further accelerate these efforts, HML will hold the first “F1 Japanese Grand Prix Business Conference” for Japanese companies at Suzuka Circuit on Friday, April 4 during the F1 Japanese Grand Prix week, to encourage Japanese businesses to view the F1 Japanese Grand Prix as a business opportunity, through introduction of the attractiveness from a business perspective and case studies.
F1 TOKYO FAN FESTIVAL and F1 showrun
As an initiative to further increase BtoC touch points, Honda and HML will hold the F1 TOKYO FAN FESTIVAL 2025, an official promotional event for the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, for four days on Wednesday, April 2 and from Friday, April 4 to Sunday, April 6, 2025, Tokyo BAY (Odaiba/Aomi). In addition to public viewing of the F1 Japan Grand Prix, F1 TOKYO FAN FESTIVAL 2025 will feature an F1 car exhibit, hands-on F1 events, live music, and cuisine from F1 host countries around the world, offering a wide range of entertainment for race fans, newcomers, and the whole family.
On Wednesday, April 2, the “Red Bull Showrun x Powered by Honda” event will be held in Odaiba, Tokyo, with Oracle Red Bull Racing and Honda’s Formula One cars on the streets of Tokyo.
In addition to satisfying visitors to the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, the Honda Group will work to create places where people who cannot travel to the Suzuka Circuit, and people who are just beginning to develop an interest in F1, can enjoy the sport.
Considering building a memorabilia business
Honda operates two facilities in Japan that display historic racing machines: the Honda Collection Hall at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture, and the Honda RACING Gallery at the Suzuka Circuit. Both venues maintain these racing machines in operating order. For such preservation, Honda has several spare engines and parts for past F1 cars, and is considering a memorabilia business to sell such engines and parts that will not affect the working-order preservation of historic racing machines.
One example is the RA100E V10 engine that powered the McLaren Honda MP4/5B driven by Ayrton Senna in 1990, which will be sold with an HRC certificate certifying that Senna actually drove the vehicle. Details will be announced officially in early April, to coincide with the F1 Japanese Grand Prix. Honda hopes to make this a valuable project that will allow fans who truly love F1 to own a piece of the history of Honda’s F1 challenge.
*1 Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile
*2 Source: 2024 Season highlights, Global Summit, Formula 1 / Liberty Media Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End 2023 Financial Results
*3 Source: Liberty Media Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End 2023 Financial Results
*4 Source: 2024 Season highlights, Global Summit, Formula 1
*5 Source: Liberty Media Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End 2023 Financial Results
*6 Source: Liberty Media Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End 2018 Financial Results