24h Le Mans
When Renault decided to move into Formula 1, the single-seater prototype campaign ran parallel to its ongoing commitment to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The shared development programme paid off, resulting in a Le Mans victory in 1978.
After the head-to-head between Matra and Ferrari in 1973, Renault’s arrival at Le Mans triggered another major battle between manufacturers. This time however, it was a race to become the first team ever to win with a turbocharged engine.
1975 - For the 43rd running of the Le Mans 24 hours, Renault caused a stir in more ways than one. Not only did the French manufacturer opt for a turbocharged engine (at a time when no car running this technology had ever won the race), but it also entered a prototype driven by an all-female team. Unfortunately, Marie-Claude Beaumont and Lella Lombardi didn’t finish the race.
1976 - Renault introduced its RS01, the first F1 single-seater prototype fitted with a 1,500 cm3 V6 turbo, plus a 2-litre Le Mans version. This threw down the gauntlet to Porsche but while the Renault-Alpine A442 claimed pole, the race was won by the German constructor’s 936 (a flat-6 turbo engine) driven by Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep.
1977 - Jean Pierre Jabouille and Derek Bell gave the Renault-Alpine pole position again and lead the race until they were forced to retire on Sunday morning. The 936 went on to claim a second consecutive win for Ickx, Barth and Haywood. A month later at Silverstone, Renault’s V6 turbo made its F1 debut at the British Grand Prix.
1978 - Renault finally saw its Le Mans dream come true with victory for Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud in the Alpine A442B. A few months later, the Renault V6 scored its first points in Formula One when Jean-Pierre Jabouille finished fourth at US circuit Watkins Glen. Jabouille had been part of the campaign since 1975 and went on to clinch his first F1 victory on home turf at the French Grand Prix in 1979.
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO | Translated from French by Clair Pickworth
Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY 14 & SUNDAY 15 JUNE 1975. The Renault Alpine A441 C driven by Lella Lombardi and Marie-Claude Beaumont had a turbo engine based on the V6 that Renault ran in Formula 2 at the time.
