Silverstone, the place where it all began for the Formula 1 world championship in 1950 – and for Renault’s F1 adventure in 1977. During the turbo era, the British Grand Prix alternated between Brands Hatch and Silverstone, which meant that Renault engines raced at the old airfield just five times from 1977 to 1986.

During that period, Renault power took three podiums – a second place for René Arnoux in 1979, a win for Alain Prost in 1983 and a third place for Jacques Lafitte’s Ligier-Renault in 1985. The 1981 race had promised much, with an all-Renault front row and the cars running one-two in the early stages, but failed to deliver with Prost retiring, and Arnoux classified 9th after retiring before the flag following a distribution problem.

The V10 era, though, was the beginning of something quite different. In 1989, Patrese spun out of a potential podium position, while in 1990, Thierry Boutsen finished on the second step. But 1991 was when things really got going, as Nigel Mansell took charge around the sweeps of Silverstone. Dominant victories in 1991 and 1992 followed, with team-mate Riccardo Patrese completing a one-two in 92. The run of victories then continued unbroken until Renault retired from the sport, with Prost taking victory in 1993, Hill in 1994, Herbert’s Benetton in 1995, Villeneuve in 1996 and the Canadian repeating the feat in 1997 – leading home Jean Alesi and Alexander Wurz (on his debut) for a Renault 1-2-3.

The third era of Renault’s F1 participation got off to a slower start, with an unremarkable performance in 2002. 2003 saw Jarno Trulli lead the race from P2 on the grid, but he could manage only P6 at the finish. Not until 2005 did the first podium come, a hard-fought second place for Fernando Alonso, followed by a dominant weekend in 2006, during which he set pole, took the win and clocked the fastest lap for good measure.

In total, Renault power has taken 9 wins, 18 podiums and 10 pole positions at Silverstone since the very first start, from a distant 21st position on the grid for the 1977 race.

The theory of evolution

Thirty years may separate these two machines, but they have more in common than you might expect.

The Renault RS01 and the Renault R27 seem an age apart. Whether it be in terms of construction, or performance, they are from different worlds. But both cars share a common objective: to excel out on track. In their own way, each is an expression of cutting-edge technology, a collection of ingenious discoveries and solutions that have fed their way back into Renault’s road cars. What’s more, the debt the R27 owes to the RS01 is unquestionable: that first car gave birth to what has now become a true sporting culture at Renault. Every time a new F1 car takes to the track, there’s a little bit of the Yellow Teapot lurking inside…