Motorsport written in our history
115 years of passion
Sporting passion has driven us for over 115 years. Motivated by the challenge, we have always yearned for something new. Competition has been a part of our history and culture, from Louis Renault to the present day.
The early days
Very early on, Louis Renault became aware of the importance of sporting achievements in the development of brand image. On 24 December 1898, he proved the superiority of his first great innovation: direct drive transmission. His Type A Voiturette was the first to climb Montmartre hill along Rue Lepic. Following this success, Renault made a commitment to automotive competition, going on to win a series of Grand Prix victories. The Renault Type K, with the first engine designed by Renault, won fame in the 1902 Paris to Vienna race. The First World War put automotive competition in Europe on hold. But Renault did not stay away from motorsport for long. The diamond brand returned to glory in the 1920s with the impressive Renault 40CV. Winning the 1925 Monte Carlo Rally, it found fame by beating many track speed records of the time.
Gordini's arrival
In 1958, Renault appointed Italian constructor Amédée Gordini as head of the motorsport division. The legendary Renault 8 Gordini was born. It went on to become a symbol of success for a whole generation of drivers. Its huge popularity led to the creation in 1966 of the Renault 8 Gordini Cup, the first ever one-make racing series. In July 1970, the launch of the Renault 12 Gordini led to 'G Day', a gathering of Gordini owners at the Paul Ricard Circuit. The spirit of this event continues today through the World Series by Renault. At the same time, Formula Renault made its debut with the first cars fitted with the Renault 12 Gordini engine. France played host to its first Formula Renault championship in 1971.
Takeover of Alpine
In 1973, Renault became the majority shareholder of Alpine, a small French manufacturer founded by Jean Rédélé, with which the brand had had links for many years. 1973 proved to be a good year for the brand as the Alpine A110 "Berlinette" won the first World Rally Championship.
Renault and the flagship competition
Our history in Formula 1
Our beginnings in competitive driving
Our history with motorsport began with the arrival of Amédée Gordini, known for his Grand Prix cars. Renault built the Viry-Châtillon factory to house his creations. Thanks to Gordini, Renault concentrated first on a V6 2.0 L engine, which was unveiled in January 1973. It turned out to be competitive in the famous European 2-Litre Sports Car Championship.
Bolstered by this success, Renault joined the FIA World Sports Car Championship and developed a turbo version of the engine.
Our first steps in Formula One
Renault Sport was officially founded in 1976 while a single-seater competition programme was launched: Formula 2, Sport Le Mans, then Formula One in 1977. Renault started out in Formula One as a team. The brand led the way with a key innovation: the turbo. While its competitors used naturally-aspirated engines, Renault lined up a V6 turbocharged powerhouse. At the same time, Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud won the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans in their Alpine-Renault A442B, powered by the Renault V6 turbo engine. The diamond brand got its first Formula One win in 1979, at the French Grand Prix, with Jean-Pierre Jabouille behind the wheel of the RS11.
In the early 1980s, Renault won 15 Grands Prix and finished second in the 1983 World Championship thanks to Alain Prost, before withdrawing from the competition at the end of the 1985 season. Renault's gamble with the turbo engine, which nobody believed in at the time, really paid off.
Winning return
Renault returned to Formula One in 2001 after buying team Benetton, before officially changing the name to Renault F1 Team in 2002.
The rise of Renault F1 Team coincided with that of a certain Fernando Alonso, who won two consecutive World Drivers' titles in 2005 and 2006. The new team also won two constructors' titles in the same period.
In 2011, Renault wanted to focus on its activities as an engine manufacturer for other teams. The Renault F1 team was sold to Genii Capital. Renault engines then came to drive the Red Bull Racing team to World Championship victory with four constructors' titles between 2010 and 2013. Sebastian Vettel entered the record books by becoming the youngest four-time world champion in the history of Formula One.
An exceptional honours list
Renault has an unrivalled honours list in Formula One. In its 38 years in the discipline, Renault has successfully competed with the very best in Formula One.
Our honours list remains unrivalled, with:
- 12 constructors' titles
- 11 drivers' titles
- 165 victories
- 213 pole positions: a record beaten in 2013!
The start of a new adventure
In 2014, Formula One underwent a real transformation with the introduction of cutting-edge engine technology. Our new Formula One powertrain combines the architecture of our former generation of turbocharged engines with powerful electric engines and a variety of sophisticated energy recovery systems. As such, consumption was reduced by 40% for similar dynamism and performance.
We will continue to supply Red Bull Racing, the sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso, and Lotus F1 Team, but the battle is fierce. After a thorough review of its strategy, Renault announced at end-2015 that it would return to manufacturing full-time.
Accordingly, in 2016 we reconnected with Formula One as official manufacturer under the banner of Renault Sport Formula One Team. With this nine-year minimum commitment, our goal is to take part in world titles and return once more to the top of the podium.
Renault Sport Series
Renault on the racetrack
Renault’s motorsport activities
For the last 10 years, the World Series by Renault has enjoyed huge success among drivers, teams, the media and, above all, the general public.
Created in 2005 when the Eurocup Formula Renault V6 and the World Series by Nissan merged, it consists of several championships. Formula Renault 3.5 and Formula Renault 2.0 form the best single-seater formulae and serve as a springboard for many drivers.
Almost 60% of Formula 1 drivers have spent time in Formula Renault, including Sebastian Vettel, Romain Grosjean and Daniel Ricciardo. 9 seasons, 64 meetings and more than 5 million spectators later, the series continues to be a resounding success.
Our new challenge, Formula E
The electric challenge
A new discipline, a new challenge
In line with our passion for motorsport and our unique expertise in the field of electric vehicles, we have signed up to the new FIA Formula E Championship.
Since May 2013, we have been a technical partner of Formula E Holding and we play an active role in the development of the 100% electric Spark-Renault SRT_01E single-seater.
At the end of 2014, our Renault e.dams team won its first victory and took the lead in the constructors' championship.
Renault e.dams is now the most successful team in the young history of the FIA
Formula E Championship. With two team titles, one driver title and nine
victories, it has set the benchmark since the series was founded in
2014.
Renault in competition
F1® in your Renault
Powered by Renault
Renault in Formula E
A new challenge
