Renault entered Formula One as a constructor through its motorsport subsidiary Renault Sport, making its debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix with Jean-Pierre Jabouille in the RS01, powered by a Renault-Gordini V6 1.5-litre turbocharged engine. The car was groundbreaking — the first regular use of turbo power in Formula One — but notoriously unreliable, earning the nickname "Yellow Teapot" during its troubled early outings.
Reliability improved gradually. By the end of 1978, the RS01 managed a fourth-place finish at Watkins Glen, the team's first points. The breakthrough came at the 1979 French Grand Prix at Dijon, when Jabouille won from pole to give a turbocharged car its first Formula One victory, while his teammate René Arnoux engaged Gilles Villeneuve in an iconic last-lap duel for second.
From 1980 Arnoux scored consecutive wins in Brazil and South Africa, and Jabouille added victory in Austria before a serious crash at the Canadian Grand Prix ended his career as a Grand Prix driver. Alain Prost joined for 1981 and spent three years demonstrating championship-level pace, winning nine races and twice finishing third in the Constructors' Championship. In 1983 Prost came agonisingly close to the Drivers' title before being overhauled by Nelson Piquet's Brabham-BMW at the final race in South Africa. Prost was dismissed two days after that season, and the team declined without him. By 1985 financial pressures at Renault led the company to withdraw from racing as a constructor, though it continued to supply engines.
Renault returned to Formula One in 1989 as an engine manufacturer, initially supplying Williams. The partnership proved extraordinarily productive. With Williams, Renault engines powered Nigel Mansell to the 1992 championship, Alain Prost in 1993, Damon Hill in 1996, and Jacques Villeneuve in 1997. Between 1989 and 1997, Renault-powered cars won five Drivers' Championships and six Constructors' Championships — four of the constructors' titles with Williams, two with Benetton (where Michael Schumacher won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995 using Renault engines from 1995). Renault ended its works engine involvement after the 1997 season, though customer supply continued until 2000.
Renault acquired the Benetton Formula team from the Benetton family in March 2000 for $120 million, continuing to race it as Benetton through 2001 before rebranding it as Renault F1 for 2002. The team was based in Enstone, Oxfordshire. Jenson Button drove in 2002, then Fernando Alonso joined for 2003 and won the Hungarian Grand Prix — Renault's first victory as a constructor since the 1983 Austrian Grand Prix.
The team reached its zenith in 2005 and 2006. Alonso won both Drivers' Championships — becoming at the time the youngest champion in Formula One history with his 2005 title — and Renault took back-to-back Constructors' Championships, breaking Ferrari's six-year hold on that honour. Alonso won the opening race of 2006 in Bahrain and accumulated victories throughout the year; points scored at the Brazilian Grand Prix sealed the constructors' title.
A sharp decline followed. Alonso departed for McLaren in 2007, and without him the team struggled. Alonso rejoined for 2008 alongside Nelson Piquet Jr., and though Alonso won at Singapore — the first Formula One race run under floodlights — and Japan, the car was uncompetitive across much of the season. The 2008 Singapore victory was later found to have been aided by a deliberate crash staged by Piquet Jr. under team orders, a scandal known as Crashgate that led to severe consequences for key team personnel.
Renault progressively sold its stake in the Enstone team through 2011. The team continued under the Renault name until being rebranded as Lotus Renault GP.
As an engine supplier, Renault powered Red Bull Racing to four consecutive Drivers' and Constructors' Championships between 2010 and 2013, with Sebastian Vettel winning all four Drivers' titles. This remains one of the most dominant periods by a single team in the sport's history.
In 2016 Renault reacquired the Enstone team and rebranded it once again as the Renault F1 Team. The team did not win during this period. For 2021, with the Renault marque stepping back from the team identity, the constructor was renamed Alpine. Renault's factory involvement as an engine manufacturer continued until 2025.