|
 |
| Base: |
Brackley, UK |
|
| Drivers: |
J Button |
|
R Barrichello |
|
| Test Drivers: |
M Conway |
|
A Wurz |
| Chassis: |
RA108 |
| Engine: |
Honda RA808E |
| Tyres: |
Bridgestone Potenza |
| First Season: |
1964 |
| World Championships: |
0 |
| Race Wins : |
3 |
| Pole Positions: |
2 |
| Fastest Laps: |
2 |
|
History
Things can only get better for Honda after its humiliating descent in 2007.
Its ‘Earth car' livery concept was launched amid huge publicity – and a great deal of scepticism from those who contested Formula 1's ‘green' credentials.
But the colour scheme soon faded into insignificance when it became clear how appalling the car's performance was.
Although it improved enough for Jenson Button to score points on a few occasions, the Briton and team-mate Rubens Barrichello couldn't wait for 2007 to end.
They now have more cause for optimism however, with the recruitment of Ross Brawn completely changing Honda's longer-term prospects.
Brawn was pivotal in Ferrari's transformation from chaos to dominance in the late 1990s, and Honda is arguably in better shape now than Ferrari was when he arrived.
A thorough restructuring and recruitment programme got underway even before Brawn was signed.
Reviving Honda won't be the work of a moment, but if Brawn can harness the potential the team showed during its peaks in 2004-6, and eradicate the disastrous troughs that it tended to dive into, then the future might be bright after all.
F1 track record
Honda's fully-fledged F1 return took shape in 2006, when it completed its takeover of the BAR team that had used its engines since 2000.
The revived factory operation endured a rollercoaster first season, enjoying the high of Button's remarkable win in the wet in Hungary, but also enduring some miserable weekends of midfield embarrassment, albeit without reaching the lows of 2007...
This wasn't the first time Honda had run a works F1 team.
The original Honda project competed from 1964 to 1968, but despite winning two races its form was patchy and the programme was eventually canned.
Fifteen years on, Honda returned as an engine supplier, and would power both Williams and McLaren to title success in the 1980s and early 1990s before withdrawing as Renault's V10 took precedence.
The manufacturer boom of the late 1990s led to Honda's second comeback.
The original plan was for a full factory team, and a prototype chassis showed great potential.
The untimely death of project leader Dr Harvey Postlethwaite in mid-1999 led to a change of direction, as Honda instead joined forces with the BAR team from 2000.
Honda's arrival was a major boost to BAR, which had been an over-hyped disappointment in its debut season.
The 2000 season saw great improvement, but then BAR-Honda trod water for several years – occasionally showing good form but never looking like a winner.
David Richards took over the operation in 2003 and by 2004 BAR was snapping at the dominant Ferraris' heels.
The team fully deserved its second place in the championship, although victory remained elusive.
There was great optimism going into 2005, despite Richards being moved aside during the winter.
But it proved to be a poor season – with a two-race suspension imposed for contravening fuel tank regulations being the lowlight.
It also turned out to be the BAR name's swansong, as Honda completed a buy-out and prepared to go racing under its own brand for the first time in nearly 40 years.
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