The Renault RE30 was a Formula One car designed by Bernard Dudot and Michel Tétu for use by the Renault team in the 1981 Formula One Season. An updated version, the RE30B, was used in the 1982 season, and a further update, the RE30C, at the start of the 1983 season.
History[]
1981[]
The RE30 was an entirely different design from its predecessor, the RE20. It incorporated carbon fibre – a material which was becoming increasingly commonplace in F1 at the time – into parts of its construction, and featured distinctive aerodynamic kick-ups ahead of the rear wheels. The initial version featured a full span front wing. The turbocharged engine was developed further, producing around 540 bhp (400 kW), with twin KKK turbochargers. The car had advanced ground effect technology, with concessions given to the new rules for 1981 which banned sliding skirts. The car was quick- probably the quickest car in the field but it came too late in the season to overcome the RE20B's unreliability in the first part of the season. It was the only car that could pass the very powerful but downforce-lacking Ferrari 126C in a straight line.
After the team used the RE20 for the first five races of the 1981 World Championship, the RE30 made its debut at the Monaco Grand Prix. At the team's home race in France, René Arnoux put the car on pole position, before team-mate Alain Prost took his first Grand Prix victory. The car then took pole in each of the next five races (Arnoux three times and Prost twice), with Prost winning again in Holland and finishing second in Germany, and Arnoux himself finishing second in Austria. Prost then took a third win in Italy, before rounding off the year with another second place at Caesars Palace. He thus finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship with Arnoux ninth, while the team took third in the Constructors' Championship.
1982[]
René Arnoux driving the RE30B at the 1982 British Grand Prix
For 1982, the car was updated and modified with a redesigned nose section that featured separate left and right front wings, and new rear wing, becoming RE30 in "B" specification. Advances in ground effect meant that the cars frequently ran without the front wings attached. The engine was further developed to give around 590 bhp. Prost made a strong 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, as Ferrari, Williams and McLaren overtook Renault in the technology race. The RE30B was a formidable qualifying car, with Prost or Arnoux on pole for the majority of the races, but reliability was suspect for both drivers, mostly due to problems with the new and rather experimental electronic fuel injection which failed repeatedly during the races proper. It was a shame, because the RE30B was probably the most competitive car that year, having the best compromise on outright performance- with a good chassis and aerodynamics, and a powerful enough engine. The car was quick around all kinds of different circuits- even around even tight, slow circuits like Monaco, Detroit, Zolder and Long Beach; circuits where the other cars with turbo-charged engines (Ferrari, Brabham-BMW, and less competitively Toleman-Hart) lacked in performance thanks to the heavier weight and poor engine pickup thanks to massive turbo lag, so the cars with the less powerful naturally aspirated engines were able to capitalize by being able to get more power more quickly out of slow corners. Arnoux took two wins during the latter half of the year, but only finished four races during the whole season. Prost was in sight of victory at Monaco, Austria and Dijon but had problems during the final laps of all three races. He eventually salvaged fourth in the championship, whilst Renault finished third in the constructors' championship.
1983[]
The RE30 was further updated to "C" specification for the start of the 1983 season, before the new RE40 became available. Prost and new team-mate Eddie Cheever both drove the RE30C at the season opener in Brazil, with Cheever then driving the car again at Long Beach. The RE30C complied with the "flat bottom" rules enacted that year, with a much larger rear wing and revised front wings.
With seven wins and sixteen pole positions, the RE30 was Renault's most successful car until Fernando Alonso's world championships of 2005 and 2006.
Race Victories[]
| Year | Event | Driver | Notes |
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| 1981 | French Grand Prix |  Alain Prost
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| 1982 | South African Grand Prix | ||
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| French Grand Prix | René Arnoux
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| Italian Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One Results[]
| Year | Chassis | Driver | Tyre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
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| Prost |
RE30 | M | Competed by RE20 | Ret | Ret | 1st | Ret | 2ndP | Ret | 1stP | 1st | Ret | 2nd | ||||||
| Arnoux |
Ret | 9th | 4thP | 9thP | 13th | 2ndP | Ret | RetP | Ret | Ret | |||||||||
| 1982 | 
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| Prost |
RE30B | M | 1st | 1st | Ret | Ret | RetP | 7th | NCP | Ret | Ret | 6th | 2nd | Ret | 8th | 2ndP | Ret | 4thP | |
| Arnoux |
3rd | Ret | Ret | RetP | Ret | RetP | 10th | Ret | RetP | Ret | 1stP | 2nd | Ret | 16th | 1st | Ret | |||
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| Prost |
RE30C | M | 7th | Competed by RE40 | |||||||||||||||
 Cheever |
Ret | 13th | Competed by RE40 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
Reference[]
| v·d·e | Nominate this page for Featured Article |
| V T E | 1982 Formula One Season | |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | Brabham • Tyrrell • Williams • McLaren • ATS • Lotus • Ensign • Renault • March • Fittipaldi • Alfa Romeo • Ligier • Ferrari • Arrows • Osella • Theodore • Toleman | |
| Engines | Alfa Romeo • BMW • Ferrari • Ford • Hart • Matra • Renault | |
| Drivers | 1 Piquet • 2 Patrese • 3 Alboreto • 4 Borgudd • 4 Henton • 5 Reutemann • 5 Andretti • 5 Daly • 6 Rosberg • 7 Watson • 8 Lauda • 9 Winkelhock • 10 Salazar • 11 De Angelis • 12 Mansell • 12 Moreno • 12 Lees • 14 Guerrero • 15 Prost • 16 Arnoux • 17 Mass • 17 Keegan • 18 Boesel • 19 De Villota • 20 Serra • 22 De Cesaris • 23 Giacomelli • 25 Cheever • 26 Laffite • 27 Villeneuve • 27 Tambay • 28 Pironi • 28 Andretti • 29 Henton • 29 Surer • 30 Baldi • 31 Jarier • 32 Paletti • 33 Daly • 33 Lammers • 33 Lees • 33 Byrne • 35 Warwick • 36 Fabi | |
| Cars | Ferrari 126C2 • McLaren MP4/1B • Renault RE30B • Williams FW07C • Williams FW07D • Williams FW08 • Brabham BT49C • Brabham BT49D • Brabham BT50 • Lotus 87B • Lotus 91 • Tyrrell 011 • Ligier JS17B • Ligier JS19 • Alfa Romeo 179D • Alfa Romeo 182 • Alfa Romeo 182B • Alfa Romeo 182T • Arrows A4 • Arrows A5 • ATS D5 • Osella FA1C • Osella FA1D • Fittipaldi F8D • Fittipaldi F9 • March 821 • Ensign N180B • Ensign N181 • Toleman TG181B • Toleman TG181C • Toleman TG183 • Theodore TY01 • Theodore TY02 | |
| Tyres | Avon • Goodyear • Michelin • Pirelli | |
| Races | South Africa • Brazil • U.S. West • San Marino • Belgium • Monaco • Detroit • Canada • Netherlands • Britain • France • Germany • Austria • Switzerland • Italy • Caesars Palace | |
| See also | 1981 Formula One Season • 1983 Formula One Season • Category | |