Renault has finally confirmed that it will stop its F1 engine operation with the change coming into effect for the season and beyond.
This comes after months of speculation surrounding the future of the French engine manufacturer, which currently supplies the Renault-owned Alpine F1 Team.
The employees of Renault&#;s factory in Viry-Chatillon, which is on the outskirts of Paris, were not happy with the plans either, staging a protest at Monza&#;s Italian Grand Prix in September.
But it wasn&#;t enough to stop their bosses from confirming the decision, so why is this happening and what is the history of Renault power units in the series?
The Renault engine has a rich history in F1, winning 12 constructors&#; championships - the second-most in history after Ferrari.
Its last title, however, was with Red Bull in and since then Renault&#;s stock has dropped, having largely struggled in the turbo-hybrid era.
In , for example, the Renault engine had approximately 20-30bhp less than rivals Honda, Mercedes and Ferrari.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine A523
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
So it was lagging behind on performance and the advantages of an F1 team running its own engine are much less than in previous years.
That&#;s because manufacturers have gotten more on top of things, and Alpine&#;s former team boss Bruno Famin once explained that &#;if we take a Ferrari or Mercedes engine, I'm quite convinced that all the integration, all the packaging, will be already very, very good.&#;
This has been evident in , as Mercedes customer outfit McLaren is currently leading the championship with its engine playing a key role to that success.
And if the performance isn&#;t there, then it is even more illogical for a company to spend huge amounts of money to run its own power unit.
In Renault&#;s case, the end product has actually put them on the back foot as Alpine is next-to-last in the championship while progress on the engine was understood to be stalling.
So it arguably did not make sense to continue the F1 project given what Alpine is hoping to achieve in the automotive market, where the money can now be better spent.
This means the Viry factory is still going to be in use, but will be transformed into an engineering centre to contribute to the technology of future Renault and Alpine cars.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524
Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
Alpine has therefore insisted that all current Viry staff are guaranteed jobs going forward, especially as it will continue with other motorsport series like the World Endurance Championship and customer projects such as Formula E and Rally-Raid.
It is expected that the Alpine F1 Team will use a Mercedes power unit from the start of the new regulations in .
That is because Renault has long been in discussions with the German manufacturer, which currently supplies McLaren, Williams and Aston Martin - who will switch to Honda in - as well as its factory squad.
But discussions with Mercedes are still ongoing and nothing has been formally announced yet regarding a future partnership.
Renault has now been involved in F1 across six decades, but what are some of its key moments?
Renault started to manufacture engines at its Viry base in ahead of the factory squad&#;s F1 debut the following year with the RS01.
The car was famous for featuring F1&#;s first-ever turbocharged power unit, which actually caused Renault to struggle. The RS01 was highly unreliable and driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille retired from the first six grands prix that he entered with the French squad, causing his car to be dubbed the &#;Yellow Teapot&#;.
It was not until that things started to improve, as a switch to the ground-effect RS10 resulted in Renault scoring four podiums that year, including Jabouille&#;s maiden victory at the French Grand Prix.
Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Renault RS10
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Renault was now on a roll as three wins followed in en route to it coming fourth in the championship. The team&#;s reputation subsequently improved and back-to-back third-place finishes followed in and , the years when Alain Prost joined the squad and scored the first five grand prix victories of his career.
By Renault had established itself as one of F1&#;s leading outfits and the engine was a key part of that, so it began its own customer programme by supplying Team Lotus that year.
The customer team power units were prepared by Mecachrome - a precision engineering company - and grew in competitiveness as wore on thanks to the signing of designer Gerard Ducarouge.
It culminated in Renault finishing runner-up to Ferrari in the championship, while Lotus came eighth having scored a podium at Brands Hatch. The customer programme expanded in as Renault began supplying fellow French team Ligier ahead of Tyrrell joining the following year.
But in , the Renault engines were once again unreliable and it prevented Lotus driver Ayrton Senna from fighting for the title - his two victories being accompanied by seven retirements.
It was not a great year for the Renault works team either, as it finished below Ligier in the championship amid major financial problems at the company. Renault could not justify the expenses needed to maintain a competitive car, so it was just an engine supplier in before leaving the series altogether at the end of the season.
But the break only lasted for two years, as Renault powered Williams in - producing the first pneumatic valved 3.5 V10 engine. It led to the British squad finishing second in the standings and three years later Ligier returned to Renault power units.
Thierry Boutsen, Williams FW13
Photo by: Sutton Images
Renault had been supplying F1 engines on and off over a 15-year period by , but never once produced a power unit good enough for a championship.
That all changed in when F1&#;s strongest engine belonged to Renault. It resulted in Williams dominating the season, of course helped by the technically-advanced FW14B chassis, as Nigel Mansell won eight of the opening 10 grands prix before clinching his maiden title at the season&#;s 11th round.
Sir Patrick Head, Williams technical director in , said: "It was certainly very good and stronger than the Honda that was powering the McLaren.
&#;The Honda was easily as powerful, if not more powerful, but it was immensely heavy, while the Renault was a lot heavier than the engines that were to follow it.
"It was the best racing engine given the combination of power, weight, fuel consumption, installation and so on. It was also extremely reliable."
That championship in was monumental for Renault, as it began a six-year period of domination where the French marque supplied every winner of the constructors&#; title.
This was down to the drivability and fuel efficiency of the power unit, while Renault also showed an innate ability to adapt.
Nigel Mansell, Williams FW14B Renault
Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images
In , for example, regulations reduced the maximum engine displacement to three litres but Renault overcame this by making its RS7 lighter, while adding the innovative fly-by-wire throttle which makes a car more reliable.
It resulted in Benetton claiming a double title in amid a dominant run by Williams, who won five championships between and . Renault left F1 at the end of that year though, before returning with its factory squad which bought Benetton in .
This led to Renault claiming the and crowns with Fernando Alonso behind the wheel, where the reliable R25 power unit was key to the success.
Renault signed its first customer team of this new era in , where the French marque began powering Red Bull - a partnership which yielded four consecutive double titles between and .
That championship in also remains the last time a customer-engined F1 car won the title. It is because, in , Red Bull was promoted to full-works status as Renault&#;s factory squad was rebranded to Lotus Renault GP.
But even during the dominant run, the relationship was fractious because Renault believed it was not receiving enough credit.
The partnership then came to a head during the turbo-hybrid era as Mercedes power units ruled supreme. Renault engines, on the other hand, were slow and catastrophically unreliable and 187 points for Red Bull resulted in it finishing fourth in - netting just 27% of Mercedes&#; score.
Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull Racing RB11 Renault, leads Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari SF-15T
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Christian Horner even labelled the performance from Renault as &#;unacceptable&#;, yet both parties persisted with the partnership despite numerous threats of termination.
Despite that, McLaren joined Red Bull as a Renault-powered constructor in after its toxic time with Honda. It was hoped that this three-year partnership would aid the competitiveness of the Renault works team, but problems still continued - especially with Red Bull.
The Milton Keynes squad retired from 10 grands prix in , seven of which were caused by poor reliability, with Horner stating &#;we&#;ve been paying to fly in first class, but ended up with an economy ticket&#;.
So Red Bull joined forces with Honda for , leaving McLaren as the only team buying power units from Renault. But, that partnership soon ended as McLaren became a Mercedes customer-outfit in leaving interest in Renault engines at an all-time low.
That was also the year Renault&#;s factory squad rebranded itself as Alpine. But, it has been a disappointing three years because, despite Esteban Ocon claiming an unlikely win at the Hungarian GP, Alpine has not finished above fourth in the championship.
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In this article
Ed Hardy
Formula 1
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The partnership between Renault and Mercedes started in late , marking the beginning of a strategic collaboration in the automotive field. This alliance allowed Mercedes to integrate Renault engines in some of its entry-level models, offering a new perspective on the reliability of the engines used by the German manufacturer.
We will examine in detail what you need to know about the reliability of these Renault-Mercedes engines.
Here is the HTML summary table &#;Key Points&#; based on the provided article:
Key Points Details Renault-Mercedes Partnership Started in , integrating Renault engines in Mercedes entry-level models Models Concerned Primarily equipping the A-Class, CLA, B-Class, and GLA with engines up to 200 Types of Engines Using 1.5 DCi, 1.6 DCi, 2.0 DCi, 2.3 DCi, and 1.3 TCe engine blocks Reliability Comparison Generally positive feedback on Renault engines in Mercedes compared to Renault itself Reliability Factors Considering displacement, fuel type, and vehicle maintenance Future Perspectives Anticipating the development of innovative and more eco-friendly engines through this collaborationMercedes primarily uses Renault engines in its entry-level vehicles. The models involved are typically the A-Class, CLA, B-Class, and GLA. These vehicles are usually equipped with engines up to the 200 designation. The Renault engine blocks integrated by Mercedes include the 1.5 DCi, 1.6 DCi, 2.0 and 2.3 DCi, and the 1.3 TCe. It is important to note that Mercedes made modifications to these engines before integrating them into their vehicles, which seems to have had a positive impact on the overall reliability of the engines.
Reliability of Renault Engines in MercedesAs seasoned automotive journalists, we have observed that feedback on the reliability of Renault engines used by Mercedes is generally more positive than those seen with Renault. This difference can be attributed to several factors:
Experts suggest that Mercedes would not risk its reputation by using unreliable engines, a hypothesis supported by user experiences.
However, it should be noted that some engines have had reliability issues in the past. For example, the Renault 1.2 TCe (100-130 hp) used from to faced serious problems, such as oil consumption and engine failures. Fortunately, its successor, the 1.3 TCe, seems to have addressed these issues and now shows improved reliability.
Key Factors Influencing Engine ReliabilityFactors influencing engine reliability go beyond design and include:
It is recommended to check the maintenance history and any repairs before purchasing a used vehicle.
Maintenance and vehicle upkeep are vital factors often overlooked. An engine that is well-maintained, with regular servicing according to the manufacturer&#;s recommendations, will have a significantly longer lifespan than a neglected engine. It is recommended to check the maintenance history and any repairs before purchasing a used vehicle. Comparison with other renowned engines in the market, such as the BMW N47 engine known for its reliability and performance, is necessary.
The alliance between Renault and Mercedes has led to the development of innovative engines, combining French expertise in compact and efficient engines with German expertise in performance and quality. This collaboration has opened up new possibilities in automotive engine technology. Positive feedback on the reliability of Renault engines used by Mercedes suggests a promising future for this alliance, with expectations of new generations of even more reliable and efficient engines benefiting from the technological advances of both manufacturers.
With environmental regulations evolving and the shift towards more eco-friendly engines, this collaboration could play a crucial role in developing innovative solutions. Hybrid and electric engines could be the next frontier for this Franco-German partnership. In summary, the reliability of Renault engines used by Mercedes seems to meet expectations, despite some initial challenges. Continuous improvement in engine technology and a focus on quality by both manufacturers indicate a positive outlook for this collaboration. Automotive enthusiasts may find it interesting to compare these developments with other iconic engines in the market, like the BMW M57 engine that has made history for the Bavarian brand.
As automobile enthusiasts, we will continue to follow with interest the future developments of the Renault-Mercedes alliance, which may redefine industry standards in engine reliability and performance.
FAQ: Renault Engines in Mercedes and BeyondWhich Mercedes models have Renault engines?
Mercedes integrates Renault engines primarily in its entry-level models. These include the A-Class, B-Class, CLA, and GLA. The engines used in these models are typically up to the 200 designation, including popular Renault engine blocks such as the 1.5 DCi, 1.6 DCi, 2.0 DCi, 2.3 DCi, and 1.3 TCe.
Are Renault engines in Mercedes reliable?
Renault engines in Mercedes vehicles have generally received positive feedback regarding reliability. Factors such as Mercedes&#; modifications to the engines, stringent quality standards, and meticulous maintenance recommendations contribute to their enhanced performance. However, certain older engines, like the Renault 1.2 TCe, experienced issues in the past. Its successor, the 1.3 TCe, demonstrates significant reliability improvements. Proper vehicle upkeep and adherence to service schedules are critical to ensuring long-term engine performance.
What is the future of the Renault-Mercedes partnership?
The partnership between Renault and Mercedes continues to evolve with a focus on innovative, eco-friendly technologies. As environmental regulations tighten, the collaboration is expected to emphasize the development of hybrid and electric engines. Combining Renault&#;s expertise in compact and efficient designs with Mercedes&#; commitment to performance and quality, this alliance is poised to redefine standards in engine technology and sustainability.
What cars use Renault engines?
Beyond Mercedes models, Renault engines are widely used in vehicles from Renault&#;s own lineup, including popular models like the Renault Clio, Megane, and Captur. Additionally, Renault engines are found in some Nissan and Dacia models, thanks to the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. These engines are recognized for their efficiency and compact design, making them a preferred choice in diverse automotive markets.
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