Team · 1977–2020 · France
Renault Sport Formula One Team
Renault entered the World Championship in 1977 with a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine — the first in Formula 1. At first it often broke down and smoked, which earned the car the nickname “Yellow Teapot”, but in 1979 Jean-Pierre Jabouille won the French Grand Prix at Dijon in it — the first win for a turbocharged car. Alain Prost won nine races for Renault and in 1983 lost the title to Nelson Piquet by two points; after 1985 the works team withdrew, staying on as an engine supplier.
In 2002 Renault returned under its own name, building on the Benetton team from Enstone that it had bought. Fernando Alonso took its first win in Hungary in 2003, then became world champion in 2005 and 2006, and both times Renault won the Constructors’ Championship. From 2012 to 2015 the team raced as Lotus, in 2016 it became Renault again, and since 2021 it has been called Alpine.