After nearly thirty years on and off in Formula one, Renault has finally reached the pinnacle of the racing world. In the final race of the season in Shanghai, China Fernando Alonzo cruised to victory over his number one rival Kimi Raikkonen in the McLaren Mercedes to secure the title. In one of the closest Constructors Championships in years Renault beat McLaren 191 points to 182.
While the race itself wasn’t that dramatic, the previous few races leading up to the finale had been very interesting. In Brazil it was a 1, 2 Finish for McLaren and for the first time all season Renault trailed in the championship standings. While in Japan, Kimi Raikkonen passed Giancarlo Fisichella on the last lap to secure his seventh victory of the season. While Renault lost the race they were actually the winner in the bigger picture as Fisichella and Alonso finished 2nd and 3rd while Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren’s second driver had an accident. Going to China Renault had regained the lead in the Constructors standings by a slim two points.
Renault pulled out all the stops for the race in China including bringing a brand new more powerful engine. It didn’t take long to see that Renault meant business as they were atop the time charts in every practice session. In qualifying they kept up the pressure winning both spots on the front row of the grid. Meanwhile McLaren had to settle for third and fifth. Being out front it appeared that all Renault had to do was keep the Mercedes behind them. On lap 24 any chance McLaren had of taking home the championship was dashed when Juan Pablo Montoya ran over a piece of debris on the track. He stopped for a new tire, but once he left the pits it became clear that his car was damaged beyond repair and he had to retire.
At this point both Renaults were up front and all they had to do was finish the race and they would be champions. While Kimi Raikkonen made a good showing passing Fisichella for second, but it wouldn’t be enough as Alonso came home for his seventh win of the season.
McLaren had to leave China wondering what might have been. It was clear that following Renault victories in the first four Grand Prixs of the season, Mercedes began to flex their muscles and by mid season Renault was barely a close second to their German rivals. However for all the power the Mercedes engine had, it lacked the reliability of the Renault. Race after race McLaren would be leading the race and engine would expire or some other mechanical problems would take one of their cars out of the event, while Renault completed nearly every race with few mechanical problems.
Renault had a very similar season in 1983. They were by far the fastest car on the circuit, but they never had the reliability with their V6 Turbo engines. That year the Constructors Championship was decided by 10 points and Alain Prost lost the Drivers Championship by only 2 points. Renault was so frustrated they stopped competing as a factory based team and became an engine supplier until 2001.
Fernando Alonso finished every race except for two, and one of those was boycotted by all the Michelin teams due to safety issues. While Alonso and Raikkonen both one seven events, the Drivers Championship was all but over by mid season, and officially clinched in Brazil. The final standings had Fernando, 21 points ahead of Kimi, with 133 points to his 112. For the 24 year old Spaniard all his boyhood dreams came true becoming the youngest champion ever. His future certainly does look bright lets hope he can bring home many more championships for Renault.
While Giancarlo Fisichella, only won one Grand Prix, he was able to score enough points to secure fifth place overall in the Drivers Standings. He has even been resigned for next season. Hopefully he will have better luck than he had this season.
Some other milestones reached this season. Renault is the first mainstream automaker to win the Constructor’s Champions with a completely in house team. Also Michelin, who has been with Renault since their very first Grand Prix it was their first ever double championship season being the official tire of the Drivers and Constructors Champions.
Congratulations Renault, don’t let anyone tell you persistence doesn’t pay. Renault is having another record breaking sales year, and their alliance with Nissan has made them millions if not billions at this point. Enjoy your time at the top of the automotive sporting world; we hope it will be long lived.