6 replies to this topic

[HistoryFan]

With Renault may have an own F1 team again in 2015, I do a little research about the history of Renault, which is very interesting.

 

I have some questions about the 90s when Renault was engine supplier.

 

1. Ron Dennis tried to buy Ligier in late 1992 to get the Renault engines, Ligier had. Are there any details about it? Why didn't Renault supply a third team with that much interest about their engines? Were there no capacities?

2. Flavio Briatore did in late 1994 what Dennis tried two years before: Buying Ligier and move the Renault engines to Benetton. But Ligier run a year old engines and Benetton the same engines as Williams in 1995, so can anyone explain that?

3. After Renault withdraw from F1 in the end of 1997 Mécachrome take over the engines and supply Williams and Benetton. Were there no talks about Williams and Benetton changing to other engine suupliers? Were there any opportunities or rumours about a possible switch by Williams or Benetton?

4. What was the role of Supertec 1999 onwards? The engines still were prepared at Mécachrome and then sold to Supertec and Supertec sold it to the teams? Or how was that case?

 

Thank you very much!

[Viryfan]

Point 1: Renault never supplied Mclaren because as a fully french state owned company the engine had to come with an Elf Aquitaine deal. Mclaren was not willing to shut down their deal with Shell. 

 

Why Renault didn't supply a third team? Because they did not want to supply a second team in first instance. Ligier got Renault engine because French socialist government was friend with Guy Ligier.

 

Point 2: Renault wanted so badly to be associated with Schumacher back in 1993 and early 1994 that they accepted to have a second factory effort in order to reach german market. In fact Senna felt betrayed by Renault and pressured the french board to not make happen the deal . Moreover Elf became sponsor of Benetton early in 1993. From french articles back in 1993, the plan was to supply Benetton as early as 1994 in order to have some rivalry with Ayrton Senna, Elf was pushing a lot for that to happen in order to keep french tv ratings as high as possible (hence why Mansell came back in 1994, TF1 and Renault were unhappy with the slump with their tv ratings).

 

 

Point 3: Benetton considered going back with Ford in 1999

 

 

Point 4: Supertec was just a company selling engines and providing track personnel from Renaut

[BRG]

I have never known the relationship between Renault and the various subsidiary names that appeared on Renault engines.  

 

Who were Mecachrome?  Was it wholly or partly owned by Renault?  Likewise Supertec?  And what about Acer (a computer brand) and Playlife (heaven knows!)?  Were they separate entities in any way or just aliases for Renault at Viry?

[Viryfan]

I have never known the relationship between Renault and the various subsidiary names that appeared on Renault engines.  

 

Who were Mecachrome?  Was it wholly or partly owned by Renault?  Likewise Supertec?  And what about Acer (a computer brand) and Playlife (heaven knows!)?  Were they separate entities in any way or just aliases for Renault at Viry?

 

Mechachrome is an engine builder like Zytek who is a supplier of Renault .

 

Supertec was a commercial company owned by Briatore who took the rights to sell RS9 engines to teams.

 

Playlife was a clothes range from Benetton, teams could name the engine with every brand bar condoms brand back then.

Edited by Viryfan, 20 October 2015 - 19:00.

[Collombin]

teams could name the engine with every brand bar condoms

The uninitiated might wonder about the Coventry Climax.

[HistoryFan]

 And what about Acer (a computer brand) and Playlife (heaven knows!)?  Were they separate entities in any way or just aliases for Renault at Viry?

 

 

Acer sponsered the Ferrari engines to Prost like Petronas at Sauber.

 

[lustigson]

... But Ligier run a year old engines and Benetton the same engines as Williams in 1995, so can anyone explain that?

 

I've always understood that Ligier ran the same spec engines as Williams did, save their first season with the brand. Perhaps a few in-season iterations back, but not year-old units.