Renault Sport Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
in 2003]]Renault Sport (also known as Renault F1) is a Formula One racing team that started in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It made a comeback to the sport in 2002, having taken over the Benetton team, which itself took over from Toleman in the 1980s.
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2 Toleman and Benetton 3 Renault as an engine supplier 4 Renault's return in the 2000s |
Renault in the 1970s and 1980s
Renault began its involvement in F1 during the last 5 races of 1977 with Jean-Pierre Jabouille in its only car. The Renault RS01 was well known for its 1.5 liter turbocharged engine, the first regularly used turbo engine in F1 history. Jabouille's car and engine proved highly unreliable and became something of a joke during its first races, earning the nickname of "Yellow Teapot" and failing to finish any of its races.
The following year was hardly better, characterized by 4 consecutive retirements caused by blown engines, but near the end of the year the team showed signs of success. Twice, the RS01 was 3rd on the grid and while finishing was still something of an issue, it managed to finish its first race on the lead lap at Watkins Glen near the end of 1978, giving the team a 4th place finish and its first F1 points.
Expanding to 2 drivers with René Arnoux joining Jabouille in 1979, the team continued to struggle although Jabouille earned a pole position at South Africa. By mid-season, both drivers had new cars, the RS10, and at Dijon for the French Grand Prix the team legitimized itself with a brilliant performance in a classic race. The two Renaults were on the front row in qualifying, and pole-sitter Jabouille won the race, the first driver in a turbo-charged car to do so, while Arnoux and Gilles Villeneuve were involved in an extremely competitive duel for second, Arnoux narrowly getting beaten to the line but getting a career best third. While Jabouille ran into hard times after that race, Arnoux finished a career high 2nd at Silverstone in the following race and then repeated that at the Glen, proving it wasn't a fluke.
Arnoux furthered this in 1980 with consecutive wins in Brazil and South Africa. Jabouille continued to have problems with retirements, but in the only race he finished in the points, he emerged victorious in Austria. Jabouille's inconsistency led to his dismissal and a driver named Alain Prost took over to join Arnoux in 1981. Prost showed the form that was to make him an F1 legend in his three years with the team and the Renaults were among the best in Formula 1, twice finishing third in the constructors championships and second once. Prost won 9 races with the team while Arnoux added two more in 1982.
Arnoux left for rival Ferrari after 1982 and was replaced by American Eddie Cheever for a season. When Prost left after 1983, the team turned to Patrick Tambay and Englishman Derek Warwick to bring them back to prominence. Despite a few good results the team was not among the elite anymore, with other teams doing a better job with turbo engines, some of which came from Renault themselves. As a result, the Renault team disbanded in 1985 and exclusively became an engine manufacturer.
The final year of Renault Sport provided another F1 first, as the team ran a third car in Germany that featured the first in-car camera which could be viewed live by a TV audience, this car only lasted 23 laps before a clutch problem.
Ironically, Renault were rivals with the team they were to take over in twenty years time. Toleman made its debut in 1981. Toleman never impressed as a team, but in 1986 it was bought by Benetton.
Benetton had a good deal more success. In 1992, the team poached Michael Schumacher from Jordan and the rest is history. By 1994 Schumacher was a World Champion. Schumacher repeated this in the team's most successful year, 1995 in which Johnny Herbert also helped the team (who were, by now, running with Renault engines) also win the Constructors' Championship.
For 1996, though, Schumacher found the lure of the Ferrari name too tempting, even though the Ferrari were not competitive at the time. He took some key Benetton personnel along with him, and Benetton immediately became a mid-grid team, which is how things stayed until they were bought by Renault.
Renault once again pulled out of Formula One at the end of 1997. However, the power unit was still bought by teams 'off the shelf' for many years afterwards by Benetton (where the engine was known as 'Playlife'), Williams (where it was 'Mecachrome') and BAR and Arrows (where it was 'Supertec').
A Renault team returned to F1 in 2002, purchasing the former Benetton team. Its current management includes CEO Patrick Faure, managing director Flavio Briatore, and technical director Bob Bell.
The reincarnated Renault finished 4th, albeit a distant fourth, in its first year back, relying on young drivers Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button doing a solid job with the team. Button was replaced by young Spaniard Fernando Alonso in 2003. The team was a much more competitive 4th in the constructors standings, with a car renowned for its launch control and its great handling. Alonso was sensational behind the wheel of his Renault that season, becoming the youngest driver to win a pole position (in Malaysia) and a race (in Hungary).
In 2004, the team surprised everybody as they were contenders for second place in the Constructors' Championship. Trulli won the Monaco Grand Prix in 2004. However, towards the end of the season Trulli's race performances were causing concern, and he was replaced by 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, as team bosses tried to ensure that second spot in the Constructors' Championship. They were beaten in the end by BAR.
In 2005 Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella will drive for the team.
This is an Article on Renault Sport. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Renault Sport Toleman and Benetton
Main Articles: Toleman, Benetton FormulaRenault as an engine supplier
In 1989, Renault rejoined Formula One as an engine supplier to Williams. By 1992, Williams-Renault was a World Championship-winning constructor. This began a truly dominant period, as Renault were involved in 5 Drivers' and 6 Constructors' World Championship wins (a clean sweep between 1992 and 1997, except for Michael Schumacher's Ford-powered win in 1994).Renault's return in the 2000s