5 Reasons Honda Dominated Formula 1

Superior Engineering

Back in the late '80s, Honda had a partnership with McLaren which resulted in something amazing: the most dominant season in Formula 1 history. 15 wins in 16 races and 15 pole positions with 10 fastest laps is a record run that has yet to be repeated to this day. Honda was at the heart of everything in the form of a tiny 1,494cc engine that had a very massive turbocharger slapped onto it. 900bhp was the quoted power figure, but this being the most competitive circuit racing on the planet you can bet they were making well north of that “official” number. Fuel injected was utilized with an aluminum block and cylinder head to keep the weight low.  

The Best Talent

Of course, having the best car in the world means little if you don’t have a pilot that can take it to the absolute limit. When it comes to driver talent these guys do not play. Honda F1 has had some of the best in the business take home hard-earned race wins: Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger have all driven for the marque. When it comes to recent years, Honda has acquired driver Fernando Alonso but showed poor results compared to those at the top. It takes more than talent to win a constructors title at this level. 

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Reliably Rapid Development

For six years in a row (1986 to 1991), every single championship winning car was dominated by a Honda power unit. They were also McLarens. This partnership, with Honda providing direct factory support, enabled the two to join forces and create some of the most reliable Grand Prix winning machinery on the planet.  In one season alone, it was said they could produce up to six engines for the sport if necessary. By building something over and over you will naturally learn what fails, and when it does, if you’re Honda you simply throw money at it until engineers sort out the problem. 

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Super Powers

Honda engines were notorious for making ridiculous amounts of horsepower and torque compared to the rest of the field. Combine this with the reliability and it’s easy to see these gave top handling cars like the Mp4/4 superpowers compared to the competition. An example of this was at the company’s home GP in Suzuka, 1988. The legendary Ayrton Senna stalled on the grid and was in trouble, but thanks to the absurd horsepower his car produced he simply got the car running again and made up 6 positions by the end of the first lap. No one in 2019 is stalling their car on the grid, bump starting it and then making up 6 positions on the first lap. This is the stuff of legends. 

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Versatility in Designs

Honda didn’t just excel at turbocharging, a fact which is evident by their results in the 1991 season that called on the powerhouse to design its own naturally aspirated V12 engines. This golden era of 15,000rpm instantly reminds you of how brilliant these guys are when you take away the boost. Honda is known for engines like the K20 and F-series that use airflow to create high revving, high horsepower engines that pull in a predictable and linear fashion. Anyone who has raced one instantly knows the feeling. It’s probably like that, just a little bit faster. Honda is one of the most versatile companies in the automotive industry with designs that impress and take home trophies. We just hope they get back to bringing home gold in the seasons to come. 

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