Honda RA107

Last updated

Honda RA107
Rubens Barrichello 2007 Malaysia.jpg
Category Formula One
Constructor Honda
Designer(s) Shuhei Nakamoto (Senior Technical Director)
Gary Savage (Deputy Technical Director)
Kevin Taylor (Chief Designer)
Mariano Alperin  [ ja ](Head of Aerodynamics)
Predecessor RA106
Successor RA108
Technical specifications
Chassis Moulded carbon fibre and honeycomb composite monocoque
Suspension (front) Double wishbone with pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers, Showa dampers
Suspension (rear) Double wishbone with pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers, Showa dampers
Length4,700 mm (185.0 in)
Width1,800 mm (70.9 in)
Height950 mm (37.4 in)
Axle track Front : 1,460 mm (57.5 in)
Rear : 1,420 mm (55.9 in)
Wheelbase 3,165 mm (124.6 in)
Engine Honda RA807E 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) V8 (90°). naturally-aspirated, mid-mounted.
Transmission Honda 7 speeds sequential semi-automatic
Power700-775 hp @ 19,000 rpm [1] [2]
Fuel ENEOS
Lubricants ENEOS
Brakes Caliper : alcon
Disc : Hitco
Tyres Bridgestone Potenza
BBS Wheels
Competition history
Notable entrants Honda Racing F1 Team
Notable drivers7. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jenson Button
8. Flag of Brazil.svg Rubens Barrichello
Debut 2007 Australian Grand Prix
Last event 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix
RacesWins Podiums Poles F/Laps
170000
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

The Honda RA107 is a Formula One racing car with which Honda Racing F1 contested the 2007 Formula One season. A modified version of the RA107, renamed the Super Aguri SA08 was used by Super Aguri in the 2008 Formula One season. The RA107 was the first Formula One car designed under former HRC motorcycle designer, Shuhei Nakamoto.

Contents

The car scored a best result of 5th at the Chinese Grand Prix and finished 8th in the constructors' championship. It featured a livery depicting planet Earth against a black background of space in order to raise environmental awareness, for which Honda won two awards at the 2007 Green Awards. [3]

Launch information

It was revealed to the public on 25 February 2007 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. The RA107 was launched with the interim winter testing livery before the final colours were unveiled on 26 February.

The 'livery launch' for the RA107 took place at the Natural History Museum in London and showed a completely new take on the look of a Formula One car. Honda's 2007 paint scheme did not use sponsorship branding but instead is focused on Honda's environmental desires. The car has been dubbed by some as 'The Honda Earth car' and the car's livery depicts the planet Earth against the black background of space, [4] with the only logos on the car being the Type R Honda 'H', and the Bridgestone logo, all at the very front of the car. On the rear wing is the web address of environmental awareness website My Earth Dream, launching on 27 February 2007. This is the first time in 30 years that a Grand Prix car has gone to the grid without a sponsored permanent livery. At the end of the year Honda were awarded with an environmental award for the "Earth Car" campaign. [5]

Along with the launch of the new theme, a number of new sponsors were named at the launch event. These included two large global brands, Universal Music and Gatorade, as well as a large number of other companies including Fila, IBM, Instron, Oliver Sweeney, Perkin Elmer, Showa Denko, TUV and GF Agie Charmilles. [6]

2007 season

The team's form in pre-season testing was patchy, and it seemed the car was unable to produce the sort of results the car's predecessor had done.

Rubens Barrichello driving the RA107 at the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix, with its characteristic "Earth" livery. Rubens Barrichello 2007.jpg
Rubens Barrichello driving the RA107 at the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix, with its characteristic "Earth" livery.

The RA107's lack of pace was evident at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello qualifying 14th and 17th respectively (behind the 'customer' Super Aguri team, whose car, the Super Aguri SA07, was effectively an update of the previous year's Honda, the RA106). Barrichello finished the race in 11th place, with Button in 15th after receiving a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

The team did not score any points in the following six races, but more positively, the car's reliability was proving to be good. The team did have chances to gain points, however, at Monaco and Canada. In Monaco, Honda had their most competitive race up to that point but they were on the wrong strategy and required to pit an extra time, resigning them to a pointless race. At Canada, Barrichello could have finished as high as 3rd but was again on the wrong strategy which required him to pit an extra time dropping him to 12th.

Barrichello driving the RA107 at the 2007 British Grand Prix. Rubens Barrichello 2007 Britain.jpg
Barrichello driving the RA107 at the 2007 British Grand Prix.

At the French Grand Prix Button finished 8th, finally earning his and his team's first point of the season. Barrichello finished 9th in the following British Grand Prix, scoring his best result of the season. At the European Grand Prix, Jenson Button had had a strong first lap before the rain arrived and was up to 4th place before he aquaplaned off the circuit at the end of the pit straight, as did five other drivers.

Jenson Button driving the RA107 at the 2007 British Grand Prix. Jenson Button 2007 Britain.jpg
Jenson Button driving the RA107 at the 2007 British Grand Prix.

The team scored points again at the Italian Grand Prix, as Button finished 8th to score his second point of the season. At the next round in Belgium both drivers were running out of the points before Button retired with hydraulic issues, while Barrichello finished 13th. In Fuji, the cars finished 10th and 11th in the wet conditions.

In Shanghai, Button put on a remarkable display of driving in the wet and scored the RA107's best result of the season with a strong 5th place, finally moving Honda ahead of Super Aguri in the championship standings. At Interlagos however, both cars retired with overheating engines due to the very hot weather in the race. Button finished the season 15th overall with six points, while for the first time in his career, Barrichello failed to score points during the season. Honda finished the season 8th in the constructors' championship.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

YearTeamEngineTyresDrivers1234567891011121314151617PointsWCC
2007 Honda Honda V8 B AUS MAL BHR ESP MON CAN USA FRA GBR EUR HUN TUR ITA BEL JPN CHN BRA 68th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jenson Button 1512Ret1211Ret12810RetRet138Ret115Ret
Flag of Brazil.svg Rubens Barrichello 111113101012Ret11911181710131015Ret

Notes and references

  1. "Engine Honda". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  2. "Current Engine Ranking??? - Racing Comments Archive".
  3. "Honda Worldwide | Formula 1 October 29, 2007 "Honda Racing F1 Team Wins at 2007 Green Awards"". 4 January 2008. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  4. "Best F1 car launches: Honda RA107 Earth Car launch in 2007". formula1.com. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  5. Goren, Biranit. "Honda win prestigious environment award - F1 - Autosport". Autosport.com. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  6. "Honda launch green campaign and livery", Autosport report, retrieved 26 February 2007

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubens Barrichello</span> Brazilian racing driver (born 1972)

Rubens "Rubinho" Gonçalves Barrichello is a Brazilian professional racing driver who competed in Formula One between 1993 and 2011. He scored 11 Grand Prix wins and 68 podiums. As of 2023, he competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 111 Toyota Corolla E210 for Full Time Sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takuma Sato</span> Japanese racing driver (born 1977)

Takuma Sato, nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 11 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing. Sato is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win the race more than once. Before winning the Indianapolis 500, Sato became the first Japanese-born driver to win an IndyCar Series race when he won the 2013 Grand Prix of Long Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Aguri F1</span> Formula One team

Super Aguri F1 was a Formula One team that competed from 2006 to 2008. The team, founded by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki, was based in Tokyo, Japan, but operated from the former Arrows factory at the Leafield Technical Centre, Oxfordshire, England. The cars were referred to as Super Aguri Hondas, with the team functioning to some degree as an unofficial Honda 'B'-team. After participating in the championship for 2 years and 4 months, the team withdrew from F1 after 4 races in the 2008 season due to financial difficulties. Throughout the team's time in the sport, it scored four points, all of which were scored by Takuma Sato during the 2007 season.

The Japanese automobile manufacturer Honda has participated in Formula One, as an engine manufacturer and team owner, for various periods since 1964. Honda's involvement in Formula One began as a full team and engine entry in the 1964 season, and in 1965 they achieved their first victory at the Mexican Grand Prix. After further success with John Surtees, Honda withdrew at the end of the 1968 season due to difficulties selling road cars in the United States and Honda driver Jo Schlesser's fatal accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Formula One World Championship</span> 59th season of the FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 62nd season of Formula One motor racing, recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – the governing body of motorsport – as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship was contested over eighteen races commencing in Australia on 16 March and ending in Brazil on 2 November. The 2008 season saw the debut of the Singapore Grand Prix, which was held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Marina Bay, Singapore and was the first Formula One race held at night. The European Grand Prix moved to a new venue at the Valencia Street Circuit, in Valencia, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Bahrain Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain on 12 March 2006. The 57-lap race was the opening round of the 2006 Formula One season and the third running of the Bahrain Grand Prix. It was won by the 2005 World Champions, Fernando Alonso and the Renault team. Ferrari driver and polesitter Michael Schumacher began his final season in Formula One with second position. Kimi Räikkönen completed the podium after he finished in third place with the McLaren team, despite starting in last position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 San Marino Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2006 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy on 23 April 2006. The 62-lap race was the fourth round of the 2006 Formula One season, and the 26th running of the San Marino Grand Prix. It was won by Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher, who had started from pole position. It was both his and Ferrari's first win of the season. Championship leader Fernando Alonso finished second for the Renault team, whilst Juan Pablo Montoya completed the podium with third position for McLaren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Formula One World Championship</span> 60th season of the FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 63rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 60th Formula One World Championship which was contested over 17 events commencing with the Australian Grand Prix on 29 March and ending with the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 1 November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Hungarian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 6 August 2006 at the Hungaroring, Mogyoród, Pest, Hungary. It was the 13th race of the 2006 Formula One season. Jenson Button won the race driving a Honda, the first victory of his career, the first race win for a British driver since David Coulthard won the Australian Grand Prix three years previously, and the first by an Englishman since Johnny Herbert won the 1999 European Grand Prix nearly seven years previously, in similarly changeable weather circumstances. Pedro de la Rosa finished second for McLaren-Mercedes, the only podium finish of his career, and Nick Heidfeld finished third, giving BMW Sauber their first podium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Brazilian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 22 October 2006 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo. It was the eighteenth and final race of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship. The race determined the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships for the season, with Fernando Alonso and Renault winning their respective championships. The race itself attracted 154 million viewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda RA106</span> Formula One racing car

The Honda RA106 was the car with which the Honda team competed in the 2006 Formula One season. It was driven by Rubens Barrichello, who joined from Ferrari, and Jenson Button, who had spent three seasons with the team as British American Racing. The year marked the first time Honda had competed as a full team since 1968; since then it had only competed as an engine supplier until taking over BAR completely in late 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Malaysian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 8 April 2007 at the Sepang International Circuit and the second race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. Reigning world champion Fernando Alonso won the race from second on the grid, with McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing second. This marked McLaren's first one-two finish since the 2005 Brazilian Grand Prix. Previous race winner Kimi Räikkönen finished third. Räikkönen's Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa started the race from pole position, but was passed by both McLarens in the first two corners of the first lap, eventually finishing in fifth place behind BMW's Nick Heidfeld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Aguri SA07</span> Formula One racing car

The Super Aguri SA07 was Super Aguri F1's Formula One car for the 2007 Formula One season. It was designed by Peter McCool and was driven by Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Spanish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, the fourth race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, won by Felipe Massa. It was held on 13 May 2007 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 French Grand Prix</span> Formula One motor race held in 2007

The 2007 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 July 2007 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France. It was the eighth race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team won the 70-lap race starting from third position. Felipe Massa, who started the race from pole position, finished second in the latter Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton third in a McLaren car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Chinese Grand Prix</span> 2007 Formula 1 motor car race in China

The 2007 Chinese Grand Prix was the sixteenth race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was held on 7 October 2007 at Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. The race was won by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen with Fernando Alonso finishing second and Felipe Massa finishing third. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton suffered the first race retirement of his Formula One career after going off at a wet pit entrance on worn tyres left him stuck in the gravel. Räikkönen's win marked the 200th Grand Prix victory for Scuderia Ferrari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Aguri SA08</span> Formula One racing car

The Super Aguri SA08 is a Formula One racing car with which Super Aguri F1 competed in the 2008 Formula One season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Spanish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2008 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 27 April 2008 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Spain. It was the fourth race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team won the 66-lap race starting from pole position. Felipe Massa finished second in the other Ferrari, and Lewis Hamilton was third in a McLaren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Turkish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2008 Turkish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 11 May 2008 at the Istanbul Racing Circuit, Tuzla, Turkey. The 58-lap race, the fifth of the 2008 Formula One World Championship, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team from pole position. Lewis Hamilton finished second in a McLaren, with Kimi Räikkönen third in the second Ferrari.

Brawn GP was a Formula One constructor which competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship, with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The team was formed in 2009 by a management buyout led by Ross Brawn of the Honda Racing F1 Team, after Honda announced their withdrawal from the sport in December 2008 due to the global financial crisis.