Honda Counts Its 500th Formula 1 Race at the 2026 U.S. Grand Prix

Honda will mark what it calls its 500th Formula 1 race at the 2026 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. The Austin event runs October 23–25, and the Aston Martin AMR26 cars will carry a Honda500 commemorative logo.

The milestone is broader than 500 starts as a Honda factory team. Honda says its count covers Grands Prix in which the engine or power unit was officially registered as “Honda,” reflecting the company’s changing roles as a constructor, engine supplier, power-unit manufacturer and technical partner.

From the RA272 to the current Aston Martin program

Honda entered Formula 1 at the 1964 German Grand Prix as a constructor developing both chassis and engines. Its first victory followed at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix with the RA272—the historic car shown in the archive image accompanying this report.

The company later supplied engines to Williams and McLaren. Honda highlights Williams’ 1986 Constructors’ Championship, a drivers-and-constructors double in 1987, and four consecutive championship doubles with McLaren from 1988 through 1991.

In the more recent era, Honda-powered Red Bull machinery won the 2021 Drivers’ Championship. Honda formally ended that phase of its F1 participation after 2021, while Honda Racing Corporation supplied technical support to Red Bull Powertrains from 2022 through 2025.

Why race 500 arrives with Aston Martin

Honda returned for 2026 as Aston Martin Aramco’s works power-unit partner, supplying the RA626H. The AMR26 will wear the milestone logo in Austin, and Honda Racing Corporation engineers at the circuit will use matching uniforms.

That means the anniversary is not a claim that a Honda-built chassis is entering its 500th race. It is a company-history marker connecting factory entries and officially registered Honda engine or power-unit participation under one count.

Fan program and practical limits

Honda has opened a special history website and says a commemorative video will be released through its official channels. Branded merchandise—including tumblers, keychains and a replica HRC engineer uniform—is being offered in Japan. The announcement does not say the merchandise will be sold through U.S. retailers.

No result is implied by the anniversary. The 500-race count will be reached when the U.S. Grand Prix entry is made under Honda’s stated definition; performance in Austin remains separate from the historical milestone.

Sources and related reading

Primary source: Honda’s October 20, 2026 announcement and historical timeline. Related: Red Bull’s free Austin Race Nights program during U.S. Grand Prix week.

Featured image: archive photo of the 1965 Honda RA272 at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed, not the 2026 Aston Martin AMR26. Photo by Nic Redhead, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.