A fantastic relationship - Marcel

Total Competition’s Director, Denis Marcel, is a happy man: the Renault-Elf duo clinched its 100th win last Sunday in Barcelona. Fernando Alonso, the Spanish World Champion was able to win the race at the Circuit de Catalunya in front of his home crowd.

From the 1979 French Grand Prix to the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix, from Jean-Pierre Jabouille to Fernando Alonso, the Renault-Elf partnership has won 100 races in F1. This symbolic figure shows how tight the links between the two companies have been for the past decades. “This 100th win has to be dedicated to this 40 year long partnership, including 27 years in F1”, said Denis Marcel, Total Competition’s Director, just after the race in Barcelona, “Two years ago, we were celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first Renault-Elf victory. Today is another important step: it is a great result and it shows the quality of this partnership, not only from an industrial and commercial point of view, but also on the technical and sporting sides. This is what we are celebrating today.”

According to Denis Marcel, this success is easy to explain. “It is based on mutual trust, on our capacity to react quickly, and on humility”, he says, “F1 is changing every year, and you need to know how to adapt. More than 30 engineering are currently working on this programme at our Research Centre in Solaize (France). The contribution we can bring to the team’s performance is quantifiable.”

A bit of history:

Elf has won 148 races and 17 world titles in F1 since 1968. From the Matra era to the lastest Renault F1 Team’s success, the Elf colours have been seen on many overalls, from Jackie Stewart to Fernando Alonso, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Didier Pironi, Jacques Laffite, René Arnoux, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill or Jacques Villeneuve.

With Renault, the Elf brand has won 100 races in F1 (29 with a Renault chassis + engine from 1979 to 1983 and from 2003 to 2006.

This successful partnership with the French manufacturer has clinched 5 drivers’ championships (4 with a Renault engine and Williams + Benetton, 1 with a 100% Renault Team), and 6 constructors’ titles (5 with a Renault engine and Williams + Benetton, 1 with a 100% Renault Team)