TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Engine: Renault
Cylinders: 6 in "V
Displacement: 1492 cc
Diameter: 86 mm
Race: 42.5 mm
Power: more than 550 HP at 11,500 RPM
Vel. Max .: 340 Km / h

RENAULT STARTS A NEW ERA

When talking about the last 30 years of Formula 1 we can say without fear of making mistakes that the most significant technological advance that incorporated the category was the appearance of the turbocharged engine.

Since 1966 the regulation allowed normally aspirated engines of up to 3 liters and ½, nobody cared about this technical variant until Renault successfully experimented such an engine in Sports Prototypes in 1975.

The new era begins in 1977 with the appearance in the GP of England of the Renault RS 01. the first results were discouraging, but the men of the brand of the diamond relied on their innovations. Time proved them right. The triumph of J. P. Jabuille in the French GP in 1979 unleashes a true technological war. Ferrari, BMW, Honda presented their engines. The Renault team retires in 1985. It did not achieve the title but its revolutionary technical contribution will remain in the history of F1.

RENAULT RE 30

Since Renault placed the RE 20 model and its RE 20B, 22, 25 and 27 variants on track, the results were not as expected. To the traditional fragility of the motors they were added an unstable chassis and of difficult set-up.

In 1981 the house of the rhombus presents in the training of the GP of Belgium a new model. The RE 30, which debuts a few weeks later at the Monaco GP.

AN ADVANCED CAR

With the exception of its Renault Gordini EF1 engine (V6 turbo) and some essential elements, the RE 30 has no similarities with its predecessors. This model has 20 Kg less, has a different gearbox (Hewland Renault 5-speed) and a shorter wheelbase. The chassis was completely modified giving it the greater structural speed and better performance on the track from the change of the rear suspension.

The designer Michel Têtu also made changes in the aerodynamic aspect. He placed large ailerons in the car and modified the side pontoons to increase penetration into the air. The RE 30 and its RE30B version, in addition to applying effective technical solutions, were the first cars that applied modern materials such as carbon fiber in some of its main elements (ailerons).

AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE

The new model of Renault was highly competitive from the start, achieving his first victory in France with the driving of Alain Prost, praise that would be repeated in Holland and Belgium. The 1982 season begins auspiciously for the French team, in the first two GPs (Brazil and South Africa) the winner is Alain Prost and his partner Rene Arnoux, triumphs in France and Italy, but internal problems in the team impede a better final performance of the team. French team.

The end of the year 1982 shows clear technical progress with the rest of the teams, and the RE 30 is replaced at the beginning of the '83 season by the RE40. The last GP that participated in this model was Brazil, where Alain Prost arrives 7th. The RE 30 was the first model of the Rombo brand really competitive and effective, as well as being an excellent test bench for the RE40, the successful car of the French brand and with which Alain Prost was classified runner-up of F1 in 1983.

History of the races

1981

The RE30 was a completely different design from its predecessor, the RE20. It incorporated carbon fiber parts of its construction, a material that was becoming increasingly common in F1 at that time. The turbo engine was further developed and produced around 540 bhp, with double KKK turbochargers. Renault joined Ferrari in the development of the turbo engines of its cars, with the Ferrari 126C. The car had advanced ground. Technology, with concessions given to the new rules that forbade skirts. The car made its debut at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1981, with Renault using a B-spec. RE20 for the first 5 races in the Americas, Belgium, and Imola; Renault did not compete in what was supposed to be the first round at Kyalami in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Renault replaced Jean-Pierre Jabouille with promising young Alain Prost to partner with René Arnoux for the season. After a slow start to the year, in which Prost won only one podium, he broke his duck with a home win at the French Grand Prix in Dijon in a changing climate, and continued with victories at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, which gave him an external opportunity for the world championship. The lack of reliability cost him his chance, but he finished a respectable quarter in the final classification. Arnoux had a very unfortunate season and was most affected by most of the mechanical problems that affected the development of the RE30, most of which were made by Prost. The RE30 did not adapt to Arnoux's aggressive steering and excessive steering style, compared to Prost's smooth, low-steering style, which may have caused some of the problems with Arnoux's performance that year.

1982

For 1982, the car was updated and modified with a redesigned nose section, a new rear spoiler, and kicks in the front of the rear wheels. The engine was developed to give around 590 bhp. Prost had a good start to the season and won in Brazil and South Africa to underline his intention to win the championship that season. However, those would be his only victories of the year, such as Ferrari, Williams, and McLaren. He beat Renault in the technological race. The RE30B was a formidable qualifying car, with Prost or Arnoux on pole for most races, but the reliability was suspect for both drivers, mainly due to problems with electronic fuel injection, new and quite experimental, which failed repeatedly during races. It was a shame, because the RE30B was probably the most competitive car of that year, having the best compromise with absolute performance, with a good chassis and aerodynamics, and a sufficiently powerful engine. The car was fast in all kinds of different circuits, even in closed and slow circuits like Monaco, Detroit, Zolder, and Long Beach; Circuits where the other cars with turbocharged engines (Ferrari, Brabham-BMW, ​​and less competitive Toleman-Hart) lacked performance thanks to the greater weight and the poor capacity of collection of the engine thanks to the enormous delay of the turbo, so that the cars with the less powerful motors of natural aspiration could capitalize to the power to obtain more power more quickly slow corners Arnoux took two victories during the second half of the year, but only finished four races during all the season. Prost was in sight of victory in Monaco, Austria, and Dijon, but had problems during the final laps of the three races. Finally, it obtained the fourth place in the championship, whereas Renault finished third in the championship of constructors.

1983

The RE30 was upgraded to the "C" specification for the first races of the 1983 season until the new RE40 was available. Eddie Cheever drove the RE30C in 2 races and the team leader, Prost led the RE30C in one race. It was in the GP of Brazil, this being the chassis of that competition.

With seven victories and sixteen poles, the RE30 was the most successful car of Renault until the world championships of Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.