Which F1 Teams Use Honda Engines?

Honda's F1 journey has been a remarkable one, beginning with its first victory at the Mexican Grand Prix in 1965 to its golden era entry as an engine supplier for Lotus and McLaren in the 1980s. The Japanese manufacturer is considered one of the most successful engine suppliers in history, an example of which powers one of the fastest F1 cars of all time, the Red Bull RB18.

Although it has won multiple Constructors' Championships, the Japanese manufacturer withdrew from the F1 at the end of the 2021 season to devote its attention to becoming fully carbon-neutral by 2050, developing tech for fuel cell vehicles and EV batteries.

Despite the withdrawal, Honda continues to provide engine units, alongside other current F1 engine suppliers like Mercedes, Ferrari, and Renault. Honda will return to F1 in 2026 as Aston Martin's works engine partner but has actually stopped supplying engines to F1 teams.

Since 2021, Honda stopped supplying engine units to teams but continues its relationship with F1 through power unit assembly support and race operations at circuits. The brand continues to provide RA Series Hybrid engine support to Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri (formerly Toro Rosso) teams until the end of 2025.

After dropping Renault's technology and partnering with Honda, Red Bull Racing saw multiple wins. Max Verstappen, one of the top F1 drivers, became Driver's Champion with up to 10 wins out of 22 races with the Red Bull RB16B, which had Honda's RA621H engine. With the introduction of 10% Ethanol Biofuel and a few tweaks, power climbed to 1,040 hp, leading Honda to consecutive Constructors' and drivers' awards. In 2023, Red Bull Racing achieved a first and second finish in the World Drivers' Championship, as well as a fourth-place finish in the 2024 championship.

After the McLaren-Honda partnership ended in 2017, Honda partnered with AlphaTauri for the 2018 Season. The Japanese brand supplied an RA618H engine — a successor to the RA617H in the McLaren MCL32 –to power the STR13. This led AlphaTauri to many wins, including a podium and sixth place in the constructors' championship in 2019, and Pierre Gasly's surprise victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.

These Honda F1 engines are a series of hybrid powertrains that pair a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 with an electric motor. These engines feature a heat recovery system (MGU-H) and a kinetic energy recovery system (MGU-K), which allows Honda to essentially extract energy in exhaust gases and braking systems. 

This engine has been in use since 2015 when the RA615H unit powered the McLaren MP4-30. Since then, the RA series engines have undergone improvements, including the introduction of a new split turbo architecture and U and energy store architecture. All new turbo-hybrid F1 engines kick out at least 1,000 horsepower while remaining under the 100 kilogram per hour strict fuel flow regulations.

After parting ways with Mercedes, Aston Martin will partner with Honda in 2026, making the Japanese brand's return. F1's recent regulations see a shift towards more sustainable power units, requiring cars to run on fully sustainable fuels, which already aligns with Honda's goals. This means the MGU-K in the current V6 hybrid engine will work to generate more electric power by 2026.