Renault's first contribution to Formula One as an engine builder was revolutionary. The company entered the sport in 1977 with the Renault-Gordini EF1, a 1.5-litre turbocharged V6 — the first regularly used turbo engine in Formula One history. Developed at the Viry-Châtillon factory, the engine initially earned the team the nickname "Yellow Teapot" for its unreliability, but its potential was unmistakable.
The breakthrough came at the 1979 French Grand Prix at Dijon, where Jean-Pierre Jabouille won in the RS10, making him the first driver to win a Formula One race in a turbocharged car. René Arnoux won twice for the works team in 1980, and Alain Prost joined in 1981, winning nine races with the team over three seasons and coming agonisingly close to the 1983 Drivers' Championship before being edged out by Nelson Piquet's Brabham-BMW on the final race.
Renault began supplying engines to customer teams in 1983, starting with Team Lotus. Ligier and Tyrrell also received engines in subsequent seasons. Ayrton Senna drove the Lotus-Renault in 1985, taking eight pole positions and three wins, though reliability prevented a sustained championship challenge. The works team withdrew after 1985, with the engine programme continuing for customers through 1986 before Renault ceased its engine operation entirely at the end of that year.
Renault returned to Formula One as an engine supplier in 1989 following the ban on turbocharged engines, partnering with Williams. The Viry factory produced a new pneumatic-valved 3.5-litre V10, the RS1. Williams-Renault won its first race together in the wet 1989 Canadian Grand Prix with Thierry Boutsen.
By 1992, with active suspension, the Williams-Renault combination was dominant. Nigel Mansell won the Drivers' Championship that year, and Alain Prost — who had left Renault under difficult circumstances in 1983 — returned to claim the 1993 title with Williams. Damon Hill won in 1996 and Jacques Villeneuve in 1997, giving Williams four Drivers' Championships in six years with Renault power.
Benetton joined the Renault supply programme in 1995, and Michael Schumacher used Renault power to win both the 1995 Drivers' and Constructors' Championships with Benetton. The two-team approach yielded eleven Drivers' Championships and six Constructors' Championships for Renault-powered cars between 1992 and 1997. Renault withdrew its factory engine programme at the end of 1997; evolutions of its RS9 engine continued to be raced by Williams under the Mecachrome name in 1998 and by various teams under the Supertec banner in 1999 and 2000 without works support.
Renault purchased Benetton Formula in 2000 and gradually transitioned the team to become the Renault F1 Team from 2002. The Viry-Châtillon engine operation supplied both the works team and, from 2007, Red Bull Racing.
Fernando Alonso won back-to-back Drivers' Championships in 2005 and 2006 with the Renault team, while the company simultaneously claimed the Constructors' title both years. The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix win proved controversial — Nelson Piquet Jr. later admitted to staging a deliberate crash under team orders to benefit Alonso, resulting in Renault receiving a two-year suspended ban from Formula One.
Renault sold its majority stake in the Enstone-based team to Genii Capital in 2010, with Red Bull Racing assuming the role of Renault's primary works partnership. Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel dominated the sport between 2010 and 2013, winning four consecutive Drivers' and Constructors' Championships — bringing Renault's total as an engine supplier to twelve Constructors' titles.
Renault developed the Energy F1-2014, a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 hybrid power unit for the new regulations introduced in 2014. The unit proved significantly less competitive than rival units from Mercedes and Ferrari, drawing criticism from customer Red Bull despite their continued championship success in 2013. Red Bull and Renault's relationship deteriorated sharply: Red Bull rebranded the Renault engine as TAG Heuer from 2016 to 2018 before switching to Honda power for 2019.
McLaren used Renault customer engines between 2018 and 2020 before switching to Mercedes. Renault re-entered as a works constructor in 2016 by reacquiring the Enstone team, finishing as high as fourth in the Constructors' Championship in 2018. The team was rebranded as Alpine from 2021, while the Renault engine marque continued as the sole power unit.
In September 2024, Renault announced it would cease its works power unit programme after the 2025 season, citing the financial cost of continuing development against stronger rivals. Alpine would switch to Mercedes power units from 2026. Renault's departure ended a 48-year association with Formula One as an engine manufacturer, a record of involvement matched by very few companies in the sport's history.