RENAULT IN FORMULA 1

F1

For further information on Renault Formula 1 please go to:

Renault through Renault F1 is engaged in Grand Prix for over 35 years with many successful accomplishments, whether acquired in the category of manufacturer or driver. 
 For further information on Renault Formula 1 please go to:
ABOUT RENAULT SPORT F1

Renault Sport F1 is the sporting division representing Renault’s interests in Formula 1 and is tasked with designing and building of highly-optimized engines that can be fully integrated into a chassis package by RSF1’s carefully selected partner teams.

For the renewal of its commitment to F1, Renault reaffirmed the extreme importance of the F1 competition to the brand. Besides being an amazing vector to international recognition, the king sport among motor sports is also a laboratory for new technologies.

Renault’s decision in 2015 to continue its involvement in Formula 1 is the confirmation that it sees motorsport as an essential part of the brand’s identity. As the pinnacle of motor sport, Formula 1 demands technological and operational excellence. The championship serves as a showcase for the technological expertise that Renault dials into its products for the benefit of its customers. Formula 1 is a means for Renault to accelerate development and remain at the forefront of the sport’s technological progress. It simultaneously allows Renault to build bridges between the advanced technologies seen in the world championship and its road cars, particularly in the fields of electric and hybrid vehicles.

The technical and historical basis of the lozenge brand is located in Viry-Châtillon, the place where engines are design, developed and tested since 1970 and where Renault team has been producing some of F1’s most successful technologies.

At the end of the 1986 season, Renault decided to focus on engine development. Perceived as an innovative brand, Renault has became the supplier of engines for several teams, including the first Lotus Team led by Ayrton Senna. Between 1989 and 1997 Renault supplied its blocks to Williams and later to Benetton, collecting several victories and six consecutive constructor prizes.

The Renault V10 is considered the best engine in the 90s and won six consecutive titles. Some others are famous too, like the V6 Turbo Renault, known to be one of the most powerful on track, and the Renault V8 that has, up to the present, five constructor titles.

A total of 250 people work on the elaboration of current and future engines, contributing to make Formula 1 a showcase for the brand’s excellence and quality.

Renault has competed in Grand Prix racing for over 35 years, and has enjoyed success in every engine formula, as both an engine supplier and a constructor.

So far, Renault has won 12 Constructors’ World Titles and 11 Drivers’ World Titles in the championship, plus more than 160 wins. It also holds the overall record of pole positions for an engine manufacturer.

12 CONSTRUCTOR PRIZES IN 35 YEARS: A unique path for Renault engines!
In F1 it all comes down to performance. For the series engines the performance is associated to the driving pleasure. The “series” Renault engineers – some come from F1 research offices - therefore created "downsized" engines that maximize energetic efficiency. The challenge is to reduce the displacement – downsizing - which in some cases is up to the economy of a cylinder - while maintaining or increasing engine power and torque thanks to the supercharging through a turbocompressor. The new Energy engines have thus gained between 10 and 20 Nm when compared to their predecessor, for a driving experience focused in dynamism, vivacity and reactivity.

Of course other technologies from the F1 universe are put at the service of the series engines when it comes to the process of certification and performance. For example, the square architecture of the combustion chambers and the F1’s water circulation cooling method that allows the engines to work faster at the ideal temperature and with more speed and efficiency.

LOW CONSUMPTION
The number one enemy of F1 is the weight. Making the most of every drop of fuel allows you to spend less and therefore to have a lighter and faster car on the track. The new Renault engines benefit from the know-how of the Group’s drivers. The latest Energy generation engines enables to lower consumption andCO2 emissions up to 25%, depending on the engine.

To lower consumption Renault uses lighter engines (aluminum), downsized (a 1.2L consumes less than 1.6L) and with innovative materials (graphite, diamond-like carbon, Téflon® distribution chain) that reduce the friction of mobile engine parts. Less friction and less weight mean less energy loss and less fuel consumption. Consequently, less fuel means less CO2 emissions and less environmental damage, another Renault core value.

The challenge is to reduce the consumption without compromising the pleasure of driving: with the new Energy engines the driver has an engine which is both reactive and economic.
QUALITY AND ROBUSTENESS
Consistency, robustness and reliability are part of the genetic of Renault F1 engines. Without these qualities no victories and certainly no 12th World Manufacturers Championship title would have been achieved!

Renault, namely the F1 series team, are placed at the highest level of excellence to assure the quality and durability of its engines, either F1 or series. Engineers from F1 have driven the development of new engines for gasoline and diesel series, design methods, numerical modeling tools and also engine resistance simulation. The quality tests at the end of the production line are systematic and allow the regular delivery of new, more reliable and more robust engines.