Will le Reggie’ ever return as a Power Unit
manufacturer?
Strange how the Renault in Motorsport’s website
proclaims that Motorsport is written in their History. And that they’ve Always
been motivated by the challenge and yearn for something new. Hmm, then how come
you’ve given up on producing your own Formula 1 Power Units, especially when
the new regulations commence in 2026, merci?
Denoting that founder Louis Renault’s first
major technological achievement was His direct drive transmission in the Model
A voiturette, being the first to climb Montmartre’s Rue Lepic in the fall of
1898.
Other early models I’ve never heard of before
include the Model K, the first equipped with a Renault engine, and the 40CV, winner of the 1925 Monte Carlo
Rally. Or the modern day Megane RS, which just ended production in 2023.
As we all know, the Alpine F1 Team will
brazenly become a Mercedes PU customer beginning next season after nearly a
half century of racing with Renault engines in the pinnacle of motorsports, nee
formula 1. Which I find to simply be blasphemy!
Reportedly, Renault has the fourth most Grands
Prix victories with 169, with only ford, Mercedes and Ferrari ahead of them.
With Ferrari’s next victory being the firm’s momentous 250th Grand Prix win…
Ultimately, Renault’s Formula 1 history goes
Wayback’ to the 1930’s and Amedee Gordini, who was then tuning engines for
Simca, FIAT’s French car assembler. With the Simca-Gordini Type 5 Le Mans
contesting the event in 1937, for example. As Gordini would contest Formula 1
with little success between 1950-57, albeit having success in Formula 2.
The Simca-Gordini relationship began dissipating
in 1951, and by the 1960’s Gordini was tuning engines for Renault, along with
entering Renault-Gordini works at Le Mans. Amedee retired in 1968 and sold a
majority 70% stake of His company to Renault.
Renault-Gordini moved to Viry-Chatillon in
1969, becoming Renault’s Sport division before merging with Alpine in 1976 to
become Renault Sport.
We know that the first formula 1 turbocharged
racecar was the Renault RS01 powered by the Renault Gordini EF1 1.5-litre V-6
engine, but try finding anything substantive upon how we arrived at this point
in history?
Other than being able to vaguely discern that
Alpine was racing in the European Formula 2 Championship for many years, while
Gordini was busy building race engines. As the Renault Alpine A442 racecar,
propelled by a Renault-Gordini 2.0-litre turbocharged 90 degree V-6 lump’, won
the 1978 24 Heurs du Mans.
As Alpine had turned its attention towards
endurance racing in 1973, and its A441 dominated the 1974 Group 5 European
2.0-liter championship. With the A441 Sports prototype winning seven of seven
races and that years manufacturer and driver titles. For which I’d Arse-sume
that this was the basis of the future Renault-Gordini EF1 Formula 1 engine…
Derisively known as the Yellow Peacock, Renault
made its Formula 1 debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix with Jean-Pierre
Jabouille as its chauffeur. And like all new technology, suffered many
technical issues during its teething period. Before finally scoring its first
points at the 1978 USGP at Watkins Glen, finishing fourth.
For the 1979 F1 season, Renault added Rene
Arnoux as the team’s second driver. As the team began the season with its RS01
chassis, while its Ground Effects RS10 was completed.
After Jabouille claimed the first ever pole
position for a turbocharged car at the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.
Appropriately, Jabouille claimed the first ever turbocharged victory at the
team’s home race at Dijon. As Monsieur “Jelly Belly” started from pole with
Arnoux second, with the duo finishing one-three, with Ferrari’s Gilles
Villeneuve sandwiched in-between le Reggie’ teammates.
Jabouille claimed pole for the German Grand
Prix at Hockenheim, followed by Arnoux scoring His debutante pole the following
round at the Osterreichring in Austria. Arnoux claimed pole at Zandvoort and
Jabouille took P1 at Monza, seeing Renault score four consecutive pole
positions. As Arnoux would finish eighth overall with three podiums vs.
Jabouille finishing P13 with two wins.
1980 saw Jabouille score two poles; Brazil and South
Africa. While Arnoux claimed victory at Brazil and Kyalami. Along with claiming
a Hat trick of pole at Austria, Zandvoort and Monza.
Jabouille scored His second and final Grand
Prix victory that year in Austria, before suffering a nasty crash at Circuit
Gilles Villeneuve, breaking a leg. As the crash effectively ended His F1
driving career, being replaced by Alain Prost for 1981.
The Professor, aka Prost would appropriately
win His debutante Grand Prix at Dijon in His sophomore season, eventually
scoring more than one fifth of His career wins driving Renault powered
racecars. Finished fifth overall with three wins that season.
Prost and Arnoux were a front running affair,
finishing fourth and sixth overall respectively in 1982. Before Arnoux moved
onto “Greener” pastures at la Scuderia, nee Ferrari, partnering countryman
Patrick Tambay.
Although scoring four wins, Prost missed out on
the 1983 F1 World Championship by two points, with rival BMW becoming the first
ever turbocharged engine to win a world title with Nelson Piquet. While Prost
was fired two days afterwards for supposedly berating Renault over its lack of
development upon the RE40, after finishing Vice Champion, Err runner-up.
Prost was immediately snapped-up by thee
Ronster’, nee Ron Dennis to drive for Mclaren, and the rest was history…
For 1984, Renault hired Tambay and Derek
Warwick as the team’s two drivers, while Renault provided customer turbo
engines for the first time to rival F1 constructors Ligier and Lotus.
As le Reggie would go scoreless in the wins column
that season. With Lotus’s Elio de Angelis’s pole at the season opening
Brazilian Grand Prix and Tambay’s pole at the French Grand Prix being Renault’s
season’s highlights. As the Mclaren duo of Prost and Niki “The Rat” Lauda ruled
the championship with their TAG-Porsch turbos.
1985 saw Renault expand to a third customer
team, supplying Ligier, Lotus and Tyrrell with its engines, in what would be
Renaults final season as a F1 Constructor. (During its first foray)
This would be Ayrton Senna’s breakout year,
having moved to Lotus. Sweeping the season’s second round in Portugal. Claiming
His maiden pole, fastest lap and win. As Senna would go on to win again at
Spa-Francorchamps and rack up an impressive tally of seven poles. While Italian
teammate Elio de Angelis would score victory at Imola, being Renault engine’s
only three wins that season.
With Renault suffering heavy financial losses,
CEO Georges Besse declared they could no longer afford to maintain the
commitment to a Formula 1 team. Hmm, sound familiar to just departed Renault
CEO Luca de Meo, who consigned the Alpine f1 Team to become a Mercedes PU
(Power Unit) customer beginning in 2026, curtailing production of Werks’ PU at
Viry-chatillon, Merci!
Thus Renault became just an engine supplier one final year in 1986, once again supplying Ligier, Lotus and Tyrrell. With Senna once again being the Renault’s highlight reel. Winning the Spanish and Detroit Grands Prix, and capturing a further eight poles, before le Reggie quit formula 1 for the first time…
