List of French Formula One engine manufacturers

Nine French Formula One engine manufacturers have produced engines either for their own cars or those of other Formula One constructors. Bugatti, Gordini, Matra, Peugeot, Renault and Talbot have designed and produced engines. Renault engines are associated with 12 World Constructors' Championship titles and 11 World Drivers' Championship titles.

All engine manufacturers have followed the regulations of Formula One enacted by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

Alphabetical list of French Formula One engine manufacturers

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Bugatti

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Molsheim-based Bugatti, which competed in Grand Prix racing before the Second World War, created a Formula One engine for its T251. It was designed by Gioacchino Colombo and took part in only one race in 1956.[1]

Engine name Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year
T2.5 L8 I8 2.5 Naturally-aspirated 230 hp @ 8000 rpm 1956

CTA-Arsenal

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CTA designed an engine for its racing car in 1946. Designed by Albert Lory and manufactured in Châtillon-sous-Bagneux, it only competed in two races, in 1947 and 1949. The project was abandoned before the creation of the Drivers' World Championship in 1950.[2]

Engine name Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year
- V8 1.5 Supercharged (two-stage) 275 hp @ 8000 rpm 1946

Gordini

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Amédée Gordini has designed several F1 engines for French automobile manufacturer Simca and for his own company. Simca took part in 14 Grands Prix, from 1951 to 1953, and Gordini took part in 33, from 1952 to 1956.[3]

Engine name Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year
T15C I4 1.5 - 195 hp @ 6500 rpm 1950
T20 I6 2.0 160 hp @ 7000 rpm 1952
T23 2.5 228 hp @ 6500 rpm 1954
T25 I8 260 hp @ 7500 rpm 1955

Matra Sports

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Matra Sports MS12

Matra Sports supplied V12 engines to Formula One Matra from 1968 to 1972, Shadow in 1975, and Ligier from 1976 to 1978 and 1981 and 1982.[4] These engines were designed by Georges Martin.

Engine name Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year
MS09 V12 3.0 Naturally-aspirated 395 hp @ 10500 rpm 1968
MS12 485 hp @ 11400 rpm 1970
MS71 440 hp @ 11000 rpm 1971
MS72 485 hp @ 11800 rpm 1972
MS73 490 hp @ 11500 rpm 1975
MS76 520 hp @ 12300 rpm 1977
MS78 520 hp @ 12300 rpm 1978
MS81 520 hp @ 12300 rpm 1981

Mecachrome

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Mecachrome manufactured engines designed by Renault (RS9) from 1998 to 2000. They were rebadged as Playlife for Benetton, and rebadged as Supertec for Williams and BAR.[5]

  • GC3701-RS09 (1998): V10, 3.0 L, 775 hp @ 17,000 rpm.

Peugeot

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Peugeot A18

Peugeot Sport supplied V10 engines to a few Formula One teams: McLaren in 1994, Jordan from 1995 to 1997, and Prost from 1998 to 2000.[6]

Engine name Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year
A4 V10 3.5 Naturally-aspirated 700 hp @ 14,250 rpm 1994
A6 760 hp @ 14,500 rpm
A10 3.0 760 hp @ 15,500 rpm 1995
A12 720 hp @ 16,000 rpm 1996
A14 750 hp @ 16,000 rpm 1997
A16 765 hp @ 17,000 rpm 1998
A18 785 hp @ 17,000 rpm 1999
A20 800 hp @ 17,500 rpm[7] 2000

Renault

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Renault EF4

Renault engines equipped Renault's F1 cars from 1977 to 1985, from 2002 to 2011, and 2016 to the present day.

They have also supplied other teams:[8]

Turbocharged V6 engines

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Engine name Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year
EF1 V6 1.5 Turbocharged 510 hp @ 11000 rpm 1977
650 hp @ 12000 rpm 1983
EF4 750 hp @ 11500 rpm 1984
EF4B 760 hp @ 11500 rpm
EF15 810 hp @ 11500 rpm 1985
EF15B 900 hp @ 12500 rpm 1986
Renault RS2
Renault RS7

Naturally-aspirated V10 engines

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Engine name Bank angle (°) Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year Wins
RS1 67 V10 3.5 Naturally-aspirated 650 hp @ 12,500 rpm 1989 N/A
RS2 660 hp @ 12,800 rpm 1990
RS3 700 hp @ 12,500 rpm 1991
RS4 750 hp @ 13,000 rpm 1992 Nigel Mansell (World Drivers' Championship)

Williams-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

RS5 760-780 hp @ 13,800 rpm 1993 Alain Prost (World Drivers' Championship)

Williams-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

RS6/RS6B/RS6C 790-830 hp @ 14,300 rpm 1994 Williams-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)
RS7 3.0 675-700 hp @ 15,200-15,600 rpm 1995 Michael Schumacher (World Drivers' Championship)

Benetton-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

RS8 700-760 hp @ 14,500-16,000 rpm[10] 1996 Damon Hill (World Drivers' Championship)

Williams-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

RS9 71 730-760 hp @ 14,600-16,000 rpm[11] 1997 Jacques Villeneuve (World Drivers' Championship)

Williams-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

RS21 112 780 hp @ 17,400 rpm 2001 N/A
RS22 825 hp @ 17,500 rpm[11] 2002
RS23 830 hp @ 18,000 rpm[12] 2003
RS24 72 880-900 hp @ 19,000 rpm 2004
RS25 900+ hp @ 19,000 rpm 2005 Fernando Alonso (World Drivers' Championship)

Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

Renault RS27

Naturally-aspirated V8 engines

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Engine name Bank angle (°) Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year Wins
RS26 90 V8 2.4 Naturally-aspirated 775-800 hp @ 20500 rpm[11] 2006 Fernando Alonso (World Drivers' Championship)

Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

RS27 770 hp @ 19000 rpm 2007 N/A
>770 hp @ 19000 rpm 2008
>750 hp @ 18000 rpm[13] 2009
>750 hp @ 18000 rpm 2010 Sebastian Vettel (World Drivers' Championship)

Red Bull-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

2011 Sebastian Vettel (World Drivers' Championship)

Red Bull-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

>750 hp @ 18000 rpm[14] 2012 Sebastian Vettel (World Drivers' Championship)

Red Bull-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

>750 hp @ 18000 rpm 2013 Sebastian Vettel (World Drivers' Championship)

Red Bull-Renault (World Constructors' Championship)

Turbocharged V6 engines with ERS

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Engine name Bank angle (°) Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year
R.E. F1 90 V6 1.6 Turbocharged 760 hp @ 10500 rpm[15] 2014
850 hp @ 10500 rpm 2015
875 hp @ 10500 rpm[16] 2016
>900 hp @ 10500 rpm[17] 2017
>900 hp @ 10500 rpm 2018
>950 hp @ 10500 rpm 2019
>950 hp @ 10500 rpm 2020
>950 hp @ 10500 rpm 2021

Supertec

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Supertec supplied Renault-designed, Mecachrome-built 1998 season engines updated for 1999 and 2000. Founded by Flavio Briatore, the company supplied Williams, Benetton and BAR in 1999, and Benetton and Arrows in 2000, with Mecachrome engines.[18]

Engine name Weight Bank angle (°) Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year
FB01 121 kg 71 V10 3.0 Naturally-aspirated 780 hp @ 15800 rpm 1999
FB02 117 kg 2000

Talbot

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Talbot made two engines for Talbot-Darracq and Talbot-Lago Formula One cars.[19]

Engine name Configuration Displacement (L) Aspiration Output Year
700 I8 1.5 Supercharged 165 hp @ 7200 rpm 1950
23 CV I6 4.5 - 280 hp @ 5000 rpm

References

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  1. ^ "Bugatti Engines". STATS F1. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  2. ^ "French pride rebuffed again!". Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  3. ^ "Gordini Engines". STATS F1. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  4. ^ "Matra engines". STATS F1. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  5. ^ "Mecachrome Engines". STATS F1. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  6. ^ "Peugeot engines". STATS F1. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  7. ^ "Engine Peugeot • STATS F1".
  8. ^ "Renault engines". STATS F1. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  9. ^ a b "Renault Sport F1". Renault official. Archived from the original on 2015-02-01. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  10. ^ "3rd Naturally-Aspirated Era (3NA), Part 2, 1995 - 2000 (end of this review); Egs. 79 to 85. The 3 Litre Formula" (PDF). grandprixengines.co.uk. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c https://www.projekt-renault.de/images/pdf/130717_renault_since_40_years_in_f1_en.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  12. ^ Mourao, Paulo (1 June 2018). "Smoking Gentlemen—How Formula One Has Controlled CO2 Emissions". Sustainability. 10 (6): 1841. doi:10.3390/su10061841. hdl:1822/60139.
  13. ^ "About RS27". Renault official. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  14. ^ (in French)"Le Renault RS27 plus puissant en 2012". Auto Hebdo. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  15. ^ "renault f1 presents 760 horsepower 1.6L V6 power-unit". designboom | architecture & design magazine. 2014-01-24. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  16. ^ "Technical specification of F1 2016 Renault RS16 and RE16". F1 news and updates on web. 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  17. ^ "Formula 1 - Car - R.E.17 - renaultsport.com". Renault Sport. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  18. ^ "Supertec engines". STATS F1. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  19. ^ "Talbot engines". STATS F1. Retrieved 2015-01-27.

Further reading

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  • Luc Melua : « Compresseurs et turbos, la suralimentation », Editions EPA, Paris, 1985.
  • Leo Turrini & Daniele Amaduzzi  : « F1 91 », Vallardi & Associat Editeur (Milano) 1991.
  • Luc Domenjoz, Steve Domenjoz & Domonique Leroy : « L’année 1993 Formule 1 », préface Jean Alesi, Chronosports Editeur (Lausanne), 1993 ?
  • « 1999 Formula 1 Yearbook », version française « 99 Formule 1 », préface Jacques Laffite, TF1 Editions (Paris), 1999.
  • French magazine Sport Auto collection.