Honda RA272 Returns: Honoring 60 Years Since Honda’s First F1 Win

In 1965, at the Mexican Grand Prix, a white-and-red Honda RA272 streaked across the finish line at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, marking not only a victory but a national milestone. At the wheel was American driver Richie Ginther, piloting Honda’s 1.5-liter V12 to its first Formula 1 win, an achievement that made Honda the first Japanese automaker to conquer the world’s premier motorsport stage. The RA272 became a rolling emblem of innovation and national pride, its howling twelve-cylinder engine and rising sun insignia forever etched into the memory of motorsport history.

Honda RA272 Yuki Tsunoda Drive Part of Year-Long Celebration

Now, six decades later, that same spirit is roaring back to life. During this year’s Mexican Grand Prix, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) engineers meticulously restored the original Honda RA272 from the Honda Collection Hall for a demonstration run on the same track where it first triumphed. Behind the wheel was modern-day Honda representative and Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda, bringing full circle the lineage of speed, engineering, and ambition that began in the 1960s.

“It is an honor to drive the RA272 at the special place where Honda achieved its first F1^® victory. Driving on the track where the RA272 pioneered Japanese motorsports history 60 years ago is a particularly special and deeply moving experience. With Honda’s history of challenges in my heart, I want to give fans a drive that conveys dreams and passion,” said Yuki Tsunoda, Oracle Red Bull Racing.

This event is part of Honda’s year-long celebration honoring 60 years of competition and innovation. Earlier in 2025, fans witnessed the legendary Williams-Honda FW11, Ayrton Senna’s championship-winning car, thunder up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and later appear at Monterey Car Week. These demonstration runs serve as living testaments to Honda’s heritage in racing and as preludes to its upcoming 2026 return to Formula 1 with a new generation of hybrid power units.

Honda has always treated racing as more than just a spectacle. From its earliest days under founder Soichiro Honda, motorsport has been a proving ground for technology and people alike. Each challenge, each race, has refined the company’s engineering DNA. Today, that same pursuit continues, not only in Formula 1 but across every level of performance and mobility development.

Honda’s F1^® Highlights

To commemorate this milestone, Honda Racing Corporation has also introduced a limited line of premium apparel and merchandise inspired by the Honda RA272, sleek designs that blend vintage racing aesthetics with contemporary style. For collectors and enthusiasts alike, it’s a way to wear a piece of history, celebrating the car that carried Japan onto the global motorsport stage.

“It is a tremendous pleasure that the RA272 will drive again in Mexico, at the same place Honda achieved its first victory, 60 years ago in 1965. Furthermore, having Tsunoda, a driver representing Japan in F1^® pilot this historic car, holds great significance. We believe this will be a precious opportunity to reflect on Honda’s history of challenge while sharing dreams and hopes for the future with our fans” Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).

From Ginther’s victory in 1965 to Tsunoda’s modern-day lap of honor, the RA272 remains more than a machine; it’s a reminder of where determination, engineering, and a little daring spirit can lead. In recognition of the 60th anniversary, Honda Racing Corporation recently launched a line of premium apparel and merchandise featuring the Honda RA272 race car.

Photos Courtesy of Honda