Over the last few seasons, the entire Formula 1 movement has concentrated on projects increasingly aimed at safeguarding and protecting the environment; actions of the recent past that are inevitably linked to the future objectives established by the Circus, mainly connected to zero CO2 emissions by 2030 and to the use of synthetic fuels. However, even before the implementation of these major steps, what happened on February 26, 2007 is still remembered today as one of the most curious dates in this sport. An event that went down in history not so much for an episode that took place on the track, as for the singular presentation of a single-seater that entered the annals for its livery: the Honda RA107.
The Japanese team, which would shortly be leaving its F1 activity in the role of constructor, chose the Natural History Museum in London as an ideal place to remove the veils from the new single-seater, obviously in the presence of the drivers of the time: Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button. Once the car was unveiled, the public was incredulous at the choice made by the Japanese company: the car, completely without sponsorin fact, presented a livery to say the least unprecedented, in which it was represented the Earth seen from space. In a short time, such a solution earth livery earned the Honda RA107 the nickname of ‘ecological’ car.
The design of the single-seater design was actually due to a fallback that was anything but ecological: up to the previous season, in fact, Honda took to the track with completely different colors, also made thanks to the support of the main sponsor. Lucky Strike. However, starting from the 2007 world championship, the new international rules prevented all F1 teams from carrying the tobacconist logos on the cars, with Honda therefore finding itself without commercial partners. From there, the decision to opt for what would become the livery for the 2007 championship, with the particularity of the total absence of sponsors: a fact that has not occurred in Formula 1 since 1968. While the RA107 amazed and intrigued fans and insiders, the same car did not impress at all in terms of performance on the track: during the entire championship, in fact, the team collected a meager tally of 6 points, all won by Button. He did slightly better in 2008, with Barrichello even finishing on the podium at Silverstone with 3rd place. However, thanks to the increasingly evident financial difficulties, Honda withdrew at the end of that season, giving the team to Ross Brawn. The latter, in 2009, renamed the Brawn GP team, winning the constructors ‘and drivers’ world title with Jenson Button on the first try.
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