this week end…
16 laps, on July 16th 1977. On a weekend that saw the F1 debut of Gilles Villeneuve, and which was dominated by home favourite James Hunt who won the race from pole, those few short laps were a mere footnote. In the race results, the explanation for the failure is unerringly simple: ‘turbo'. The car had, though, done enough to earn itself a nickname: the yellow teapot. And therein lay the secret…
Described by those who saw it and lived it, the Renault team that arrived at Silverstone three decades ago sounds like the antithesis of modern Formula 1. A small group of enthusiastic young amateurs, unprepared, inexperienced, launching themselves into the unknown on a wing, a prayer and a turbocharged engine. Flying in the face of received wisdom, they persevered, overcame their challenges and succeeded. It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – and soon, everybody was working out how to win Grands Prix with a 1.5 litre turbo.
Thirty years later, those faltering first steps have become a collection of accomplishments that rivals with the sport's best. In 25 seasons of F1 competition, Renault has won eight constructors' championships – and seven drivers' titles. Renault engines have powered their way to 113 wins, 154 pole positions and 114 fastest laps. And this Sunday, four of the very latest RS27 V8's will be present on the starting grid of the 2007 British Grand Prix.
The technology may be different and the faces have undoubtedly changed, but one thing remains the same: the spirit of competition. It links today's ING Renault F1 Team with the group of passionate young engineers who came to rock the world of Formula 1 three decades ago, and continues to drive us forward to ever greater challenges in the future.
"I wish to take this opportunity to wish a ‘happy birthday' to all the people who have taken part in this adventure, and who now make up Renault's F1 ‘family': technicians, drivers, mechanics, engines, partners and suppliers. Above and beyond technological and sporting performance, Formula 1 is a remarkable human story. And for us at Renault, our achievements are more than a sporting heritage, they are a source of genuine pride."
Alain Dassas, President, Renault F1 Team
Silverstone '77 remembered by those who were there
Gérard Larrousse (General Manager, Renault Competition): When we started the Renault Formula One campaign, we didn't have too many hopes of finishing races, because the engine was just too fragile, but I was one hundred percent sure that we could solve the various different problems in some weeks or months. What I did hope was that we would have an advantage on the atmospheric engines at three races which were held at altitude: Kyalami, Zeltweg and Dijon, so that was our goal. Of course, within two years we achieved it with our win at Dijon.
Jean Sage (Team Manager): I started working for Renault on January 1 1977, six months before the first race. It was very short notice to race the car. Silverstone was almost a success for us. First, we expected to race the car before, and we had so many problems, so our aim at Silverstone was to last as long as possible in the race. We were happy with what we achieved in, because we knew that the car was not so reliable and where we qualified and the laps we did was already a success for us. It was not a disappointment. But the team - everything - was new because six months before we were a Formula Two team so this was quite new for us. We had no experience of Formula One. The team was really very inexperienced and amateur. We were not very professional but it was quite a good atmosphere at my level. It was a very, very long and painful entry between Silverstone ‘77 and Dijon ‘79, the first win.
Bernard Dudot: At the time, I was in charge of the Le Mans programme, and we were all involved with that, apart from 15 people, headed by Jean-Pierre Boudy, who were starting the Formula One project. At the time, I would say it was not a big priority at Viry-Châtillon but it was a big surprise, because as a start, it was at the same time so good and so bad. At Silverstone, we were exploring unknown ground because when you take part in motor sport, you have to go and fight and you have to race. Testing is good but it is nothing compared to racing and for us it was our first race. We were all very apprehensive about Silverstone, because at the time we didn't know how good our engine was in terms of performance. We knew all the problems, particularly reliability because it wasn't just our reliability, it was the reliability of all our suppliers: the pistons, the sleeves, the valves, everything. We didn't know how good they were, so we knew we had problems. And also we had a very young team and we saw extraordinary things: air lines to air bottles being snagged by wheels or wings coming off. At the beginning we had all that to learn but we had something which at the time was indispensable: we had youth, enthusiasm and a free spirit. You always need some of that to succeed in such projects.
François Guiter (Elf Competition Director): The yellow tea-pot. We made this engine and no one believed it was possible to succeed but it was an engine which revolutionised Formula One. It was a great experience. Someone said we could get 500 bhp with our engine but all the big engine people like Porsche and BMW, everyone said it was impossible. So we said, OK, we try to do it, but the Renault people said ‘we won't pay. If you want to do it, you pay for it.' We needed 500,000 francs at the time, and we called it a test of competition engines and we paid for the first two engines which, fortunately, gave virtually 500 bhp because we had a lot of problems proving it afterwards. So that was it, that was the debut. I didn't think we would get very far at Silverstone because the first time that Jabouille drove the test car, as he got out, he didn't dare talk to us, saying that it was completely undriveable.
Jean-Pierre Jabouille (Driver): We arrived at Silverstone with something that was completely different to everything else: radial Michelin tyres which was the first time in the world; a turbocharged engine for the first time in Formula One; and a young driver who had been European Formula Two champion called Jean-Pierre Jabouille! So everything was new. I was very realistic arriving at Silverstone. I knew that we would eventually be successful, but first of all I wanted to finish races. The car was very difficult to drive for two reasons: the first, the response time of the turbo, and secondly, the Michelin tyres weren't at all progressive. They had good grip but when they let go, it was very sudden. The turbo lag, which gave you huge power very suddenly, plus Michelin's tyres made it very difficult to drive. But, I remember that Ken Tyrrell laughed at us a lot. It was he who called us the tea pot but we made our debut, we weren't a disgrace, we were in the middle of the pack and at the end of a number laps, what we expected happened: the engine broke with a nice cloud of smoke which made everyone laugh.
François Castaing (Technical Manager): The first thing was that I was very anxious because we were so inexperienced. I was concerned that we didn't look serious or competent enough when compared to the big teams like Ferrari and McLaren. And I couldn't believe that, after only starting in 1972, we were there with a turbo engine. In 1972, Renault Gordini and Renault Alpine were barely competing in anything, only rallying with the A110, so already starting with the V6, we were very inexperienced and even the old Gordini people weren't much help. Yet five years later we had won the European Formula Two championship, we'd won with the turbo in Mugello, we had won in Formula Two and we were in Formula One. At the time, we were so pumped up that we found it normal, but I found it really unbelievable that there we were, standing in the Silverstone paddock, and we were in Formula One.
Silverstone 1977: my first grand prix. By Simon Arron, aged 46
Silverstone '77 wasn't just an F1 first for Renault… it was journalist Simon Arron's first ever F1 race. He explains what he remembers from that summer's day.
In my mind Hans Stuck's wailing Brabham BT45B-Alfa is a frozen snapshot: in reality it was travelling at quite a lick between Abbey and Woodcote. I'd loved cars since before I could walk, but this was the first time I'd seen their ultimate form in three dimensions.
The trip to Silverstone was a treat in the immediate slipstream of my O-levels and, with mates Phil and Dave, I cadged a parental lift from Cheshire. Armed with tent, Camping Gaz stove and some tins of ravioli, we were dropped by a gate and told to return there three days hence.
Despite intimate familiarity with north-west England's classic circuits (Oulton Park, Aintree and Longridge), we hadn't much idea about Silverstone's geography. After paying £16 each for weekend admission, we simply ran towards the noise. And there, on the other side of the first grass bank we reached, was Stuck's Brabham. It has been lodged in my head ever since. We pitched camp close to Club Corner, which became our main weekend base. Of an evening, when security cleared off, we'd roam the paddock to collect autographs and other mementos, then return to the tent for more lukewarm ravioli.
We were by no means the only F1 newcomers: rather more significantly, it was also the first race for Renault, turbocharged engines and radial tyres (plus, of course, Gilles Villeneuve).
At the time it was an improbably thrilling adventure. Now, grands prix are a matter of professional routine… but that hasn't diluted their capacity to enthral.
Renault at Silverstone
Silverstone, the place where it all began for the Formula 1 world championship in 1950 – and for Renault's F1 adventure in 1977. During the turbo era, the British Grand Prix alternated between Brands Hatch and Silverstone, which meant that Renault engines raced at the old airfield just five times from 1977 to 1986. During that period, Renault power took three podiums – a second place for René Arnoux in 1979, a win for Alain Prost in 1983 and a third place for Jacques Lafitte's Ligier-Renault in 1985. The 1981 race had promised much, with an all-Renault front row and the cars running one-two in the early stages, but failed to deliver with Prost retiring, and Arnoux classified 9th after retiring before the flag following a distribution problem.
The V10 era, though, was the beginning of something quite different. In 1989, Patrese spun out of a potential podium position, while in 1990, Thierry Boutsen finished on the second step. But 1991 was when things really got going, as Nigel Mansell took charge around the sweeps of Silverstone. Dominant victories in 1991 and 1992 followed, with team-mate Riccardo Patrese completing a one-two in 92. The run of victories then continued unbroken until Renault retired from the sport, with Prost taking victory in 1993, Hill in 1994, Herbert's Benetton in 1995, Villeneuve in 1996 and the Canadian repeating the feat in 1997 – leading home Jean Alesi and Alexander Wurz (on his debut) for a Renault 1-2-3.
The third era of Renault's F1 participation got off to a slower start, with an unremarkable performance in 2002. 2003 saw Jarno Trulli lead the race from P2 on the grid, but he could manage only P6 at the finish. Not until 2005 did the first podium come, a hard-fought second place for Fernando Alonso, followed by a dominant weekend in 2006, during which he set pole, took the win and clocked the fastest lap for good measure.
In total, Renault power has taken 9 wins, 18 podiums and 10 pole positions at Silverstone since the very first start, from a distant 21st position on the grid for the 1977 race.
An interview with Philippe Girard, Manager, Elf F1 Programme
What feelings does the RS01 from 1977 inspire today? Amusement, or affection? PG: It's a special sight, to see again the first F1 car to carry the Renault diamond and the Elf logo. The technology might seem outdated by today's standards, but it symbolises the starting point of an incredible adventure that has seen our partnership grow during three decades, and three different eras: innovation with the turbo engine, the new concept of the V10 – and the challenge of a full team, designing both chassis and engine.
What have been the strengths of the Renault-Elf partnership in your opinion? PG: Thirty years of working together have built a very strong partnership. Today, we are almost at the point that we don't even need to talk in order to understand the needs of the other partner! I believe our links are founded upon great shared trust, constant communication… and a love for motorsport at the very highest level. Renault and Elf have also established unique working methods, which are the foundation of our achievements. Very few partners in Formula 1 are lucky enough to enjoy such a good collaboration.
Do you have any outstanding memories of the road the two companies have travelled together?PG: First of all, we must mention the efforts of François Guiter at Elf, who was crucial to the birth of the turbo project in 1977. The work by our chemists was already helping Renault gain performance: in particular, I can remember the fuels we custom-blended over a weekend to solve problems with engine knock. In the V10 era, the things that stand out are the special, high-performance fuels: between the start of 1992 and the series of wins scored by Nigel Mansell, we found 40 horsepower. And finally, I am very proud of the joint effort between Renault and Elf to make the RS25 engine reliable at the start of that season. A particular custom-made lubricant may well have made the difference when it came to winning the title that year.
The theory of evolution
Thirty years may separate these two machines, but they have more in common than you might expect.
The Renault RS01 and the Renault R27 seem an age apart. Whether it be in terms of construction, or performance, they are from different worlds. But both cars share a common objective: to excel out on track. In their own way, each is an expression of cutting-edge technology, a collection of ingenious discoveries and solutions that have fed their way back into Renault's road cars. What's more, the debt the R27 owes to the RS01 is unquestionable: that first car gave birth to what has now become a true sporting culture at Renault. Every time a new F1 car takes to the track, there's a little bit of the Yellow Teapot lurking inside…
Chassis: Type RS01
Front track: 1425mm Rear track: 1525mm Wheelbase: 2500mm Length: 4500mm Width: 2000mm Weight: 600kg
Construction: Aluminium monocoque Front suspension: Double wishbones with inboard coil springs Rear suspension: Double wishbones with outboard coil springs Material: Steel
Brakes: Steel disc brakes and pads, 4 piston callipers
Gearbox: Manual Hewland FG 400, 5 speeds + reverse
Material: Aluminium
Tyres: Michelin, radial
Engine: Renault-Gordini (Silverstone 1977: n°76T)
Architecture: 90° V6, turbocharged Capacity: 1492 cm3 Turbo: 1 (Garrett) Bore x stroke 86 x 42.8mm Power: 525 bhp at 11,400 rpm Valves: 4 per cylinder, with valve springs Valve timing: Belt drive Fuel/lubricant: Elf Life: 300km
Chassis: Type R27
Front track: 1450 mm Rear track: 1400 mm Wheelbase: 3100 mm Overall length: 4800 mm Overall width: 1800 mm Overall weight: 605 kg, with driver, camera and ballast.
Construction: Carbon-fibre and aluminium honeycomb monocoque
Front suspension: Top and bottom wishbones operate an inboard rocker via a pushrod system. This is connected to a torsion bar and damper units which are mounted at the front of the monocoque.
Rear suspension: Top and bottom wishbones operating vertically-mounted torsion bars and horizontally-mounted damper units mounted on the top of the gearbox casing.
Material: Carbon fibre
Brakes: Carbon discs and pads, 6 piston callipers
Gearbox: Semi-automatic gearbox with seven speeds and reverse gear. ‘Instantaneous Gearchange' system to minimise time loss during gearchanges.
Material: Titanium
Tyres: Bridgestone, radial
Engine: Type RS27
Architecture: 90° V8, normally aspirated Capacity: 2400 cc Turbo: No Power Approx.: 700 bhp at 19,000 rpm Valves: 4 per cylinder, pneumatically controlled Valve timing: Gear driven Weight: 95 kg Spark plugs: Champion Fuel + oil: Elf Life: 2 Grand Prix weekends, around 1000 km
