Renault celebrates its 40th anniversary of Formula 1 with the Yellow Teapot
Teapot…? Hang on, what? Yes, you read that right! Automotive giant, Renault, has released a commemorative teakettle: a charming little yellow receptacle, boasting respectable speed stripes, metallic accents and undeniable aerodynamics. Even at first glance, it is a teakettle built to pull some serious G’s (and maybe travel back in time to when there were biscuits). But why a teakettle? To understand this, we need to go back to 1977 and Renault’s first foray into the field of Formula One.
See, back then, all the top contenders were using 3.0 litre natural aspirated engines (most notably the Ford Cosworth DFV and the Flat-12). Even though the official Formula One rules provided for a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine, none of the other teams were pursuing this option, thinking that turbo charged engines were too unreliable.
Enter designers André de Contranz and Jean-Pierre Jabouille. These two Renault pioneers knew what turbo charged engines could do and were determined to show that, not only could they compete with the aspirated 3.0 litre engines in power but also in reliability.
And so the Renault RS01 (the first of its name) was born. This prototype (which would later lend its name to the contemporary Renault R.S.01 supercar) was an admittedly clunky construction, built around an overweight, cast iron engine. It evolved with every race as De Contranz and Jabouille (who was also the driver) continued to tinker with and refine their creation. But progress was slow and even with the cast iron engine withstanding the pressures of turbo charging, the RS01 blew up on a regular basis and would frequently be seen pulling into the pits, trailing copious amounts of white smoke. From there rose the nickname: the little yellow teapot.
The RS01 won no awards in 1977 and it was only in 1978, at the US Grand Prix, that it placed in the top four. Finally in 1979, when the team raced at higher altitude at South Africa’s Kyalami, the twin turbo charged engine found its stride in the thinner air, whereas the Ford Cosworth DFV and Flat-12 engines struggled to catch their breath.
All in all, it is a good story. And respect to Renault for being able to poke fun at themselves on this, the 40 year anniversary of their participation in Formula One. In truth though, if you were so inclined, you might arrive at the opinion (looking at the commemorative teapot) that Renault was trying to build Pinnochio a Formula One helmet. If they did, one thing is certain: Pinocchio would go from zero to Real Boy in no seconds flat!
