Renault is bringing two old F1 cars to Monaco

Renault is celebrating 40 years in F1 at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. And it’s doing it in style, by bringing along a couple of its old F1 cars (and their drivers) for a few parade laps. Oh, and current Renault F1 driver Nico Hülkenberg will also do a few laps in the new Renaultsport Megane – but we can’t tell you anything about that until tomorrow.

Indeed. First up is the RS01 (no, not that R.S.01), which made its debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix. This wasn’t just the first Renault F1 car, but also the first F1 car with a turbocharged engine. At the time regulations allowed for 3.0-litre N/A engines, but Renault was first to seize upon a clause that also allowed for a 1.5-litre turbo- or supercharged motor, hence the RS01’s 1.5-litre 90-degree turbo V6.

Fairly. It made 525bhp and revved out to 10,500rpm. The gearbox was a five-speed manual (no flappy paddles in ’77) and it weighed about 600kg. Renault puts the top speed at 186mph or so.

But it was unreliable – apparently earning the nickname “the yellow teapot” from rival teams – and didn’t win its maker any points until the 1978 US GP, where it finished fourth.

No, though it did score a pole, at the South African GP at Kyalami in 1979. Kyalami is known for being at relatively high altitude. The thinner air suited the turbos, while N/A cars lost power. Renault’s first win came later in the 1979 season with the RS10, which replaced the RS01 for the Monaco GP and later won the French GP (the first victory for a turbo car in F1).

That’s Jean-Pierre Jabouille, the RS01’s driver and – get this – designer/developer. Renault brought him on-board in 1977 to develop the 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, but he also drove it to its points finish and qualifying pole. He also drove the RS10 to its win at the 1979 French GP. He’ll be demoing the RS01 at this weekend’s Monaco GP.

And so you should. That’s Alain Prost, four-time F1 champion and many-time Renault F1 driver. The other old F1 car Renault’s bringing to the party is his RE40 – the first F1 car with an all-carbon chassis.

Prost drove the RE40 in the 1983 season, winning four races and finishing on the podium a further three times. He ultimately lost the championship to Nelson Piquet by just two points. Its V6 turbo produced 750bhp, which I’m sure Prost would call whatever’s French for “adequate”.