Renault F1 Team

(Bast)

Renault F1 Team

The Renault F1 Team (officially ING Renault F1 Team named after the title sponsor of the team) is a Formula 1 racing team, owned by the french carmaker Renault. The team began in Formula 1 in 1977, before withdrawing from the world championship at the end of 1985, Renault preferring to stick to a simple role of engine. Renault has made his return as a chassis builder in 2002 following the acquisition of the Benetton Formula team reached two years earlier. This return has been marked by two world titles manufacturers in 2005 and 2006 and by the two titles of World Champion drivers Fernando Alonso.

The start
Renault is present in automobile competition for over a century. This is a Renault who won the first Grand Prix history, in 1906 (Grand Prix de l'ACF). Before that date, it will signal victory for Louis Renault in a Renault in 1899 on the Paris-Ostend. In 1900, Louis Renault wins Paris-Toulouse-Paris. In 1901, three Renault finish the first three places of the Paris-Bordeaux race.


Louis Renault stops the competition in 1903 following the death of his brother Marcel Renault in the race Paris-Madrid, stopped in Bordeaux because of the number of fatal accidents. The Renault cars line up, however, the first Grand Prix de France triumph in 1906 when the French Hungarian-born Ferenc Szisz. In 1907, Szisz must be content with second place behind Fiat de Felice Nazzaro. However disappointing results at the Grand Prix de France 1908: Szisz abandoned on broken wheel, Serguey Dimitriewich finish eighth and fifteenth Gustave Caillois. After this failure, Renault withdrew from the competition cars.

The debut in Formula 1
Renault expects 1977 to join the Formula 1. Vehicles of the diamond mark made their appearance in mid-season at the GP of Great Britain are revolutionary: they are equipped with a turbo, under an equivalency limiting the engine capacity to french 1 500 cc (against 3 000 cc to competition). The development of the engine turbo inevitably cause some setbacks in the first Grand Prix, with the number of dropouts who are taunting the competition. The Renault east and affublée by the British from the unflattering sobriquet of Yellow Tea Pot (the teapot yellow) in reference to his tendency to complete its courses in a cloud of smoke. Jean-Pierre Jabouille is the pilot of the single yellow car on the grid in 1977 and 1978. During this second season, the turbo engine's reliability is improving and stable harvest its first points.

Starting from 1979, Renault now aligns two cars in Grand Prix and Rene Arnoux joined Jean-Pierre Jabouille. After signing a pole position in South Africa, Jabouille won the Grand Prix de France in Dijon after both Renault had monopolized the first row of the starting grid. Arnoux finished third after an epic duel with Gilles Villeneuve. The triumph on his land east total for Renault who won his gamble on the turbo. Gradually, all the other stables s'équiperont engine turbo until the ban on the technology end of 1988.

In 1980, Arnoux won the Grand Prix of Brazil and South Africa while Jabouille has problems with repetition. Alain Prost replaces Jabouille in 1981. The future quadruple world champion abducts three Grand Prix during his first season with Renault, helping the team to hang a third place ranking manufacturers. In 1982, Renault recorded four successful Grand Prix: two for Prost, two for Arnoux, allowing the team to consolidate its third place ranking manufacturers. The disappointment is deep yet for Renault, who seemed able to win world titles, but after a fine early season was plagued by recurring problems of reliability and errors of its pilots. At the end of 1982, in conflict with Prost, Arnoux left the team to join Ferrari. He is replaced by the young American Eddie Cheever. Favourite for the world title, Alain Prost won four Grand Prix victories, and seems sovereign championship. But the back end of season Nelson Piquet deprives him of the title and he must be content with second place in World Championship drivers. Cheever between six times in the points and Renault earns a place in the ranking of manufacturers, second behind Ferrari. The difficult end of season Renault have caused serious tensions within the French team, Prost is released from his contract to take over the official terminology.

After the departure of Alain Prost, Renault loop two seasons with Patrick Tambay and Derek Warwick, but the team slid to the classification of manufacturers in fifth position (1984) and then in seventh position (1985). Renault decided to close its Formula 1 racing team, preferring merely to be engine for other teams during the 1986 season, a role filled since 1983 with Team Lotus (fruitful association, marked by brilliant performances d ' Elio de Angelis then Ayrton Senna in particular), then with Ligier and Tyrrell.


The return to F1 as an engine manufacturer
After two years out of the F1 (but during which a cell technology watch is maintained), Renault makes his return to Formula 1 in 1989, but only as an engine manufacturer, for the Williams team (1989 to 1997) and Benetton (1995 to 1997). This policy is pay-as Renault itself in the years 1990 as the best engine of the plateau, with many titles of World Champion the key. We note in this regard that there is no official title of World Champion engine, and that when one speaks of securities Renault, it is more accurate to talk about his association with world titles pilots and equipped stables by brand lozenge.

In 1997, Renault will officially retire after his sixth consecutive championship title manufacturers. In total, these are eleven titles that Renault won with Benetton and Williams teams (6 titles manufacturer and 5 titles pilot). Renault, however, continues to be present in F1, through its subcontractor Mecachrome (1998) and society Supertec (1999 to 2000), providing customers engines (ie pay) Williams, Benetton, but also BAR and Arrows.

The return to F1 as stable
Having bought the Benetton team at the beginning of the 2000 season, Renault officially back in Formula 1 as the engine manufacturer in 2001 and as a stable under his own name in 2002. The director general is a figure from the world of Formula 1: Flavio Briatore (formerly Benetton). The team in full reconstruction, which has embarked on a bold path technical returning to F1 with a V10 engine angle extra-large (we refer to 110 or 111 °) penalty logically to sign its first results: she finished 7th in the constructor championship in 2001 and 4th in 2002. In 2003, the slow but steady progress is achieved through Renault its first victory since her return to Grand Prix at the Grand Prix of Hungary 2003, won by Fernando Alonso. Renault concluded 4th this year. In 2004, while Renault has returned to a more traditional engine the team also won the prestigious Grand Prix of Monaco 2004 with Jarno Trulli and finish in third place in the constructors championship. The rise of Renault, however, is thwarted by a late-season very difficult, which allows the BAR-Honda team to blow the 2nd place in the overall rankings. At Renault, said then that final coasting by the desire to focus sooner than the competition on the development of the car the following year, a tactic that will bear fruit.

In 2005, the Renault F1 Team Grand Prix aligns a brand new car, "R25". Its engine contains 98% of fresh evidence in relation to the 2004 model. The work of winter itself from the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia. Giancarlo Fisichella won the pole and won the race, while Fernando Alonso sign third place and the best time in the race. The team continues its momentum in Malaysia, Bahrain, the Grand Prix of San Marino, the Grand Prix of Europe, the Grand Prix of France and Germany Grand Prix with six victories of Fernando Alonso. Dominatrice early season, the R25 seems the heart of the summer to have stalled in pure performance compared to the McLaren-Mercedes, its main rival. But its strong advance the driver and constructor championships, Renault has mostly managed the evolution of his car so as not to jeopardize its reliability, Achilles' heel of his opponents. At the GP of Brazil, penultimate race of the season, Fernando Alonso won the drivers title. Then, during the GP of China, the last leg of the championship, a new victory Alonso allows the team to ensure the title of World Champion manufacturers. Renault at this time becomes the first automotive manufacturer to win the general world crown in Formula 1.

Despite a troubled winter, marked by the announcement of the departure of Alonso future, as well as alarmist rumours about the future of Renault in F1 (rumours which have been lifted until the spring of 2006, Renault announced its commitment to long-term F1), the French team began its 2006 campaign with 7 victories in Bahrain, Sepang, Melbourne, Barcelona, Monaco, Silverstone and Montreal, including 6 for Alonso. It marks not face the Ferrari during the summer. Playing between bad luck and bad choices, the team will see its lead over Ferrari melt like snow in the sun. The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile will even surprising decisions (or even issue for some as a stunning penalty for Alonso in Italy) which will cause harm to Renault and its pilots, including the abolition of Mass Dumper. But the French team overcomes well affronts. Alonso will win even the GP of Japan after a break of Schumacher. In closing 2nd in the GP of Brazil, behind Felipe Massa, Spanish driver wins the title and offers the title manufacturer Renault. That concludes a superb partnership between the diamond stable and Spanish.

The separation between Renault and Alonso, McLaren Mercedes at the party, is the harbinger of a difficult 2007 season for the team. In addition, a difficult adaptation of the new R27 tires supplied by Bridgestone, now the only manufacturer in F1 after the departure of Michelin. And indeed, from the opening race in Australia, the fall is tough. Giancarlo Fisichella, whose contract was extended from summer 2006, finished 5th place in a rather opportunistic while his new teammate, newcomer Heikki Kovalainen finished outside the points after an introduction of more brouillonnes. He is better at the next GP at the same time that the single yellow and orange now gaining competitiveness. However, after 4 GP, the Renault team has only 11 points, forty lower than the same stage of the 2006 season. And yet, they managed his first podium of the season during a race chamboulesque, the Grand Prix of Japan's Mount Fuji. It's Heikki Kovalainen who appropriates the 2nd place the nose of Kimi Raïkkonen on Ferrari. In China, no mark no Renaults points for the first time this season. Worse, at Interlagos, none completes the grand prize. Despite having finished in 3rd place in the championship following the exclusion of McLaren, the team is disappointed by its results and the car.

Nevertheless, in 2008, the team will take to dream again. In disgrace at McLaren Mercedes, Fernando Alonso returns to the French team, exchanging its place with Heikki Kovalainen. He is accompanied by Nelson Piquet Jr. who replaces Giancarlo Fisichella Force party in India. If the pilot does not interfere with the dévellopement of the R28, its qualities maker of the point and attacking it can wrest the 4th place in Australia. Piquet Jr. makes a grand prix disastrous. In Malaysia yet, only Alonso scores. In Bahrain, Renault back into the forefront, its two pilots not mark any points, and the team fails to 6th place, doing less well in 2007 at the same time. In Spain, is the deception. Despite good places grid due to technical improvements, leaving the two pilots. Nevertheless, the team seems to be returned to a better level, a sign confirmed by the second place grid Fernando Alonso.

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