ALPINE A500 FORMULA 1

Réédition partielle de la collection Alpine Renault - Construisez l’Alpine A110 1600S Berlinette

ENTERING COMPETITION

The first steps taken by Renault in Formula 1 were made thanks to Alpine, and they date back to the 1960s; a large-scale adventure, but one which was to spell the end of Alpine in rallying.

Alpine was still a semi-artisanal manufacturer in the mid-1960s, but had already established a reputation for itself, both commercially, with the exceptional A110, and in European competition, with the A110, which won the Spanish Rally Championship in 1967. It was also the year in which Gordini, the 'sorcerer', developed a V8 engine for circuit racing, to be fitted particularly to the Alpine A220 that competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Once again, Amédée Gordini worked miracles with the limited resources he had available, as Renault's help was a far cry from the efforts made by the German and Italian competitors. It was in fact during the summer of 1966 that Gordini was actively working on this engine. At the time, he and Régie Renault were counting on public funding to develop a Formula 1 car; unfortunately, the money went to the Matra team in early 1967. This was a huge disappointment for Alpine, who thought they had proved themselves... Insufficient funding forced Gordini to make a number of financial choices that impacted on the performance of its engine: it was impossible to switch to cylinder heads with four valves per cylinder or to fuel injection. This was evident from the outset as, with approximately 300 bhp, the V8 was more than 100 bhp less powerful than the best F1 engines, led by Ford Cosworth.

Pit stop during a rainy test of the A500 in 1976. Jean-Pierre Jabouille and the Renault engineers still had a lot of work to do to improve the car. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Renault D.R.

The beginning

The oil company Elf was keen to enter Formula 1 at the time and encouraged Alpine to work on the idea. Alpine designed a smart car, called the A350, based on its know-how: a chassis made of a tubular trellis covered with a polyester body and the Gordini engine. The result was impeccable roadholding, but an engine that was simply not good enough in terms of performance; it could still make an impression in endurance racing, but not in Formula 1. The verdict from Renault was clear: there was no point in jeopardising Alpine's credibility with a car that was clearly not up to scratch! The A350 would therefore never be entered in a race. Meanwhile, Alpine seemed to be going in all directions: in rallies obviously, in its Formula 1 ambitions as we have just seen, in Formula 2 and Formula 3 as well, and this was probably a bit too much for a small manufacturer.. Jean-Pierre Jabouille made his mark in 1969 with his Alpine F3, and victory came in 1971 when Depailler took the title ahead of Jabouille. After a good 1972 season, Alpine had to withdraw from competition at the end of 1973, mainly because of the change in regulations, but also as production of the A310 went ahead: it was very difficult to participate at all levels. Another factor, and not the least important, was that Renault was in the process of establishing close relations with Alpine, to the point of becoming a majority shareholder. It was Renault's dream for Alpine to compete on the racetrack too, but it also had media ambitions, with only two ways to generate publicity: endurance racing - with the Le Mans 24 Hours in particular - and Formula 1.

Back in F1

Elf, Renault's privileged partner, also wanted to make a name through racing, and once again pushed for the creation of a competitive engine. It was to be a 2-litre V6, initially intended for the European Sports Car Championship, and its design was entrusted to François Castaing. Here, there was no need for cost-cutting solutions, just a modern engine with four valves per cylinder and timing belt drive, and an electronic fuel injection system. The engine was born, it won the European title in 1974, and then was fitted with a turbocharger. Two teams were to work together: one for endurance racing, with priority given to the Le Mans 24 Hours (see box), the other for Formula 1. In 1975, Renault wanted to invest in Formula 1. The manufacturer entrusted the task of making the initial steps to its racing department; and its racing department was, of course, Alpine! The car was to be called the Alpine A500, developed with the utmost secrecy in the Alpine workshop in Dieppe. The entire 1976 season was used for extensive testing on various circuits with Jean-Pierre Jabouille as driver.

It's an Alpine!

The 1,500 cm3 turbocharged engine produced almost 500 bhp on the test bench, and wind tunnel tests in the spring of 1976 were encouraging. After initial tests on the Michelin track at Ladoux, near Clermont-Ferrand, the car was tested during the summer at Le Castellet, Dijon, Jarama in Spain and Nogaro in the south-west of France. The engineers realised from the very first laps that there was still a lot of work to be done: the turbo required a response time that was incompatible with efficient driving, the tyres didn't react properly, and so on. In fact, there was always something to improve, which wasn't helping the driver's concentration. But little by little, each problem was solved, thanks to the hard work of a team which had now become the Renault team. The engine, for example, was capable of producing more than 520 bhp, but at just 500 bhp, it was far easier to use and more flexible, and lap times were much better: the sort of observations that can only be made in real driving conditions. So far, the car didn't officially exist, but the journalists suspected something and named it the 'Phantom'. Finally, the all-black A500 was officially presented in June at the Castellet circuit, near Toulon; it was both an Alpine and a Renault, powered by a Gordini engine! The end of the season was dedicated to fine-tuning the car, which was turned yellow - quite a symbol - and it took several seasons of racing to make it truly reliable. In December 1976, the work on the Alpine A500 was completed, and it was renamed the Renault RS 01, the very first Renault to compete in F1. It made its debut in Formula 1 in England in 1977. The first F1 car to enter the modern era was born, challenged to beat the bigger 3,000cc engines with a small 1,500cc car equipped with a turbocharger - a brilliant feat!

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A NURSERY OF CHAMPIONS

Alpine began... and Renault followed! When the Alpine brand was created in the 1950s, the automotive landscape in France and Europe was anything but sporting. The post-war rebuild was still in progress, and although mass-produced cars were becoming more commonplace, they were mainly for utilitarian purposes. At the time, the countries most interested in motor sport in Europe were Great Britain and Italy, and manufacturers understandably recruited their drivers from these two countries. When Alpine was created, its ambitions were nowhere near those of Ferrari or Lotus, but even in its rally segment, talented drivers were needed. Alpine employed a large number of young drivers who learned their trade at the wheel of Berlinettes, then other Alpine models, then Alpine-Renault, then Renault Sport. As a result, the company created a veritable breeding ground for drivers, especially as the Alpine team was all about competition.

Jean Rédélé and his 4CV at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1951: it was in Alpine's DNA to cherish its drivers. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Renault D.R. / Archives et Collections

THE CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS

Alpine's first sporting creations were the creation of its owner Jean Rédélé, who was an amateur racing driver himself, and who had built the car that Renault had not put on the market by transforming a 4CV. This was the first step towards the Alpine "nursery". Subsequently, the brand entrusted cars to selected drivers, but one car is not enough to create passion. Provided the finances were there, it was only possible to recruit drivers who would do their job, with varying levels of success. But to ensure that these 'mercenaries' would not be the only drivers, a veritable state of mind would have to be created, an alchemy that would allow for the uninterrupted renewal of drivers and of their commitment. The sheer force of the factory would not be enough. The first piece of this edifice is undoubtedly the car itself. A devilish temptress, the Berlinette is quick to inspire young drivers and push them to excel, especially as the best of them acknowledge that the A110 is better at handling in bends than on straights. What better challenge for young drivers than this wild animal, which is almost unstable in a straight line but becomes magical in bends if you have the courage to tame it? The second component of the Alpine edifice, which contributed so much to Alpine's image in competition, was another kind of alchemy, that of the 'Alpine family', a family that people wanted to be part of, because of the strong fraternity that reigned between the members of the team in the early seasons. This alchemy was made possible by the various Managing Directors who succeeded one another, and who had been drivers themselves, just like Jean Rédélé. José Rosinski was the first, followed by Jacques Cheinisse, who created such a family atmosphere in his racing team that he was affectionately nicknamed 'Dad'! In fact, Cheinisse had understood that it was important to manage not employees, but people, and when travelling he took into account not only the drivers and mechanics, but also their families.

In 1973, the large family of the official Alpine team on the occasion of the manufacturer's World Rally Championship title. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Renault D.R. / Archives et Collections

EVERYBODY LOVES ALPINE

Of course, you need a good dose of high technology to succeed in top level motor sport, but Alpine owes its success to elements that would have been a disadvantage to most of its competitors: enthusiasm, inventiveness, and sometimes anti-mechanical solutions. After a promising start in rallying, Jean Rédélé's team looked to other challenges - speed racing on circuits, endurance racing - that proved too ambitious for the small factory. From then on, the brand refocused on what it did best, rallying, especially as the Berlinette reached maturity at the end of the 1960s. As a result, the best French drivers were attracted, while abroad Alpine was also attracting fans. During this period, the famous 'musketeers' of the Alpine team - Andruet, Thérier, Nicolas, Vinatier, Todt, Darniche, etc. - were seen in the paddocks with a touch of envy, not only because they were driving one of the best cars in existence, but also because the group got on very well despite the challenges. Especially as the results followed and the championship titles came one after the other: Alpine was on cloud nine, and people loved their heroes. The drivers loved their cars and the mechanics loved their drivers, so the public loved Alpine! Renault acquired a majority stake in Alpine in 1973. It was a season of triumphs, with the brand winning the world rally title and the prototypes for the new generation of Alpine endurance cars being built.

MODERNITY

From then on, the Alpine structure was modernised, adapted to the demands of results first and foremost. Renault continued to train drivers, increasingly making its training programmes more professional. Later renamed Filière FFSA and then Auto Sport Academy, it became an extremely effective structure, but with a very distinctive vision compared to that of Alpine twenty-five years earlier. Driver Sébastien Bourdais, for example, described his time at Auto Sport Academy as follows: "I learned everything there is to know about being a racing driver: the technical basics, physics, promotion, press relations, etc. They helped me to anticipate possible physical problems with a view to a career that would not end in F3, and I gained in maturity through contact with real professionals.

Renault did not stop there, and since the early 2000s the RDD (Renault Driver Development) programme has been tasked with identifying future champions at the highest level. The 'students' receive physical and psychological training, with a real 'coach', as well as language and communication courses. Nevertheless, as one experienced motor sport observer once explained, the focus has shifted from sport to finance, and friendly relations have turned into confrontation to determine who is the strongest. It's hardly surprising, then, that there's still a certain nostalgia for the golden days of Alpine!

THE ADVENTURE OF LE MANS

The V6 engine was at its peak when the Jaussaud-Pironi team's A442 triumphed, but the process had taken several years. By 1973, it had become clear to Renault, unofficially, that the engine needed to have the potential to win both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Formula 1, albeit with substantial differences. Alpine-Renault would gradually become Renault-Alpine and then Renault Sport, but Jean Rédélé had already started working on the Le Mans adventure in the 1960s. In 1976, the first participation in the 'modern era', i.e. with the turbocharged V6 engine, had already taken three years. Jabouille was the fastest on track, ahead of the formidable Porsches, but the engine crashed. The following year, the A442s were more impressive, taking the top three positions during testing and starting at the front, but all of them broke down, one after the other. In 1978, they were finally crowned champions, even though two of their cars crashed.