Before the F2 championship was over, Honda had built prototypes for a
turbocharged Formula One engine. After a dummy unit was sent to Spirit, the team modified one of its 201 chassis to meet F1 regulations, and began a testing programme with the new engine in November 1982 at
Silverstone, with plans to join the F1 World Championship midway through the 1983 season. Honda were anxious to keep a low profile – much as they had been when they had first entered F1 two decades earlier – and so the team avoided testing at the same time as other F1 teams, while also taking its programme to
Willow Springs and
Riverside in California. Then, when the decision was made to enter one car into the World Championship, Johansson was chosen as the driver – he was seen as a faded talent having made a disappointing F1 debut for
Shadow in 1980, whereas Boutsen was seen as a star of the future. After a further test at
Jacarepaguá, the team made its competitive F1 debut in April 1983, at the non-championship
Race of Champions at
Brands Hatch. In a field of 13 cars, Johansson set the second-fastest time in free practice, but suffered engine problems in qualifying and started 12th. He then retired early with a punctured radiator following a collision with the
Theodore of
Roberto Guerrero. Following this, the team resumed its testing programme, with sessions at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and
Donington Park, before making its World Championship debut in July at the
British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Driving a further revision of the F2 car, the 201C, Johansson qualified 14th out of 29 cars despite continued engine problems, and ran strongly in the early stages before retiring with a broken
fuel pump. The team then continued in the championship until the penultimate race of the season, the
European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. Johansson tended to qualify ahead of most of the naturally-aspirated cars, and finished seventh at
Zandvoort, but mechanical problems continued to blight the car. In the meantime, the team was building its first purpose-designed F1 car, the
101, but at the same time, Honda were showing concern at the lack of progress and were being courted by
Williams, who offered a record of success. Following a disastrous weekend for Spirit at
Monza, where the 101 was presented but not driven and Johansson suffered another early retirement, the Japanese company decided to supply its engines to Williams only, and Spirit thus missed the final race of the season at
Kyalami. . Spirit decided to continue in 1984 with
Hart turbocharged engines. Initially twice world champion
Emerson Fittipaldi and moneyed Italian
Fulvio Ballabio were slated to drive. However Fittipaldi left to find a drive in
Indy car racing after finding the machine uncompetitive and Ballabio was refused a
Super Licence. Instead
Mauro Baldi found funds and was nominated as the team's sole driver, Johansson being released as he could not find the funding to continue. The 101 was a neat but underpowered car and Baldi struggled to move away from the rear of the grid.
Jean-Louis Schlesser had planned to take over from the third race before the threat of litigation from
RAM (still owed money by the Frenchman) saw Baldi stay until
Huub Rothengatter took over. When the Dutchman's money ran out Baldi found enough funds to complete the season. The team's best result was 8th place, scored by Baldi on three occasions and Rothengatter once. The 101 chassis (having been progressively upgraded throughout 1984) was updated again for 1985 and Baldi continued to drive.
Allen Berg had arranged a deal to take over the seat later in the season. Money was even tighter, however, and after three rounds Wickham decided to take up an offer from
Toleman to buy out the team's tyre contract and folded the F1 outfit. Wickham initially promised to be back with a new car in 1986 but that never happened. ==Formula 3000==