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How Honda got 2007 so horrendously wrong is quite simply beyond belief. This time last year, most of us knew and had accepted that the RA107 wasn’t going to be a great car, but I don’t think many of us expected the junior team to wipe the floor with the factory team for most of the season. The fact that Super Aguri led Honda in the championships right up until the Chinese Grand Prix should serve as serious embarrassment for the Japanese car company. Honda absolutely have to improve and return themselves to the regular point-scorers they once were. Failure to achieve this could spell disaster for the future of the team. Continue Reading

With the much anticipated launch of the Honda RA108, their 2008 car, this morning, the drivers and team managers have been speaking to the media about what this season will hopefully bring to the Brackley-based squad and how they can turn around their fortunes following the six-point haul of 2007. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello are excited about the new car, although it is hard to see how the team could get much worse. Continue Reading

Honda today unveiled their 2008 challenger, entitled the RA108 to continue the naming structure of their chassis. The car has been eagerly anticipated following their recent move to publicise Honda’s environmentally progressive attitude, which to a degree extends to their Formula One operation. The car is also important because it follows the disastrous RA107 that caused problems for Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello last year. Continue Reading

Honda debuted their 2008 car at Valencia this morning, dressed in white and and powering Rubens Barrichello around the Spanish circuit. The new car, which Honda hope will lift them back into the competitive zone, is quite a radical move away from the failed RA107 which only garnered six points in last years championship. Visually, the nose is much higher and the sidepods are significantly different. The rear end has also been completely altered according to the team and the front suspension has been remodelled. Continue Reading

Austrian driver Alex Wurz has been announced as Honda’s test driver following his retirement from competitive racing after the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix. Alex first arrived in Formula One in 1998 with the floundering Benetton team, but soon after took up a testing role with McLaren. Realising his chance of turning his testing duties into a full-time drive for team he switched allegiances to Williams and worked at Grove until Mark Webber’s move to Red Bull for 2007 allowed him to compete alongside Nico Rosberg. However, the young German highlighted many of Wurz’s weaknesses, and while his season wasn’t a disaster, Nico showed excellent form that at times over shadowed Wurz. Upon retirement it looked as though Alex would disappear from Formula One, but today he has been signed to Honda to develop their RA108 chassis. Continue Reading