Honda Racing F1 Team

Honda raced in F1 in its own right between 1964-’68, winning two Grands Prix before withdrawing. In 1983 it returned and won World Championships as an engine supplier to both Williams and McLaren. The current Honda team first appeared under the British American Racing name in 1999. The ambitious project was put together by Craig Pollock, manager of Jacques Villeneuve, in partnership with racing car constructor Adrian Reynard, and was built around Jacques Villeneuve. The team first joined forces with Honda in 2000, when the Japanese company became an engine supplier. However over the first few years of its life the team had little success, only occasionally breaking into the points. In 2004 there was a major improvement as Jenson Button became a regular podium finisher. Anti-tobacco legislation meant that owners British American Tobacco eventually decided to sell the team to Honda, and it was subsequently renamed. In 2006 Button scored a memorable win in a wet race in Hungary, but last year a bad car saw both the Briton and team mate Rubens Barrichello struggling. The arrival of former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn as team principal should encourage a revival this year.

The Honda Racing F1 Team in 2008 enters its third season under full Honda Motor Company ownership with the new RA108 and an even greater determination to succeed. The RA108 car is a different concept to its predecessors, in terms of its aerodynamic layout and mechanical structure. The design philosophy has been developed to allow greater scope for aerodynamic packaging and exploitation, particularly to facilitate the introduction of performance upgrades through the season.

The focus has been on attaining a high level of aerodynamic efficiency with stability and this is reflected in the way that the chassis has been revised to interact with the different aerodynamic features and the suspension. This approach is designed to allow more potential for further developments to take place.

The famous RA designation dates right back to the dawn of Honda’s bid for grand prix glory during the early 1960s. The company’s original F1 prototype that began testing in December 1963 was type-number RA270 and it was fitted with an experimental RA270E 60-degree, 1.5-litre V12 engine. By the time Honda made its Grand Prix debut at the fearsome Nürburgring in August 1964, the early prototype had been superseded by the RA271. Honda’s first grand prix win came with RA272 at Mexico at the end of the following season.

The new V8 powerplant, the RA808E, also takes on the evocative RA prefix, which continued through 1983-1992 during Honda’s second generation of F1 participation. The launch of the RA108, with its revised 2008 livery, also marks the start of the next exciting phase of the team’s long term environmental initiative, earthdreams. The Honda Racing F1 Team’s ethos is one of dedication to sporting excellence, borne out of 40 years of Honda’s racing heritage and a shared responsibility for change in our society.

Chassis
Construction Moulded carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure

Suspension
Front: Wishbone and pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers, mechanical anti-roll bar
Rear: Wishbone and pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers, mechanical anti-roll bar
Dampers: Showa

Wheels & Tyres

• BBS forged magnesium
• Front: 312mm wide
• Rear: 340mm wide
• Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza

Brakes & Electronics

• Brakes: Alcon callipers
• Brake discs/pads: Carbon/Carbon
• Steering: Honda F1 power assisted rack and pinion
• Steering wheel: Honda F1 carbon fibre construction
• Driver’s seat: Anatomically formed carbon composite
• Seat belts: Takata six-point harness (75mm shoulder straps with HANS system)
• Fuel cell: ATL kevlar-reinforced rubber bladder
• Fuel capacity: 150 litre
• Battery: 3Ah lead acid
• Electronics: FIA standard ECU & FIA homologated electronic system

Transmission

• Gearbox: Carbon composite maincase: 7-speed unit, Honda internals
• Gear selection: Sequential, semi-automatic, hydraulic activation
• Clutch: Carbon plate

Dimensions

• Overall length: 4700mm
• Overall height: 950mm
• Overall width: 1800mm

Engine

• Model: RA808E
• Displacement: 2.4 litres
• Configuration: V8, naturally aspirated
• Vee angle: 90 degrees
• Maximum power: More than 700 ps
• Maximum revs: 19,000 rpm
• Valve train: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
• Injection system: Honda PGM-FI
• Throttle system: Electronic hydraulically-operated system
• Ignition system: Honda PGM-IG

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