Victor Jabouille at the wheel of his father’s Renault
Even stronger than the 2024 edition, for 2025 HVM has a line-up packed with F1 history. And especially 100% blue/white/red history. Victor Jabouille will be driving the F1 car that led Renault to its first F1 victory with the RS10, with his father Jean-Pierre Jabouille at the wheel.
1979, the year of recognition for Renault
The RS10, designed by engineer François Castaing and the Renault team, introduces a high-efficiency turbo engine, exploiting the new advantages of turbocharging. There are even two of them for this second version.
Although the car initially suffers from reliability issues (notably overheating and power management problems), it becomes increasingly competitive over the 1979 season.
The RS10 makes history by becoming the first turbo-powered car to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix. It also marks the first pole position and the first victory for the Renault team!
At Dijon-Prenois during the French Grand Prix, this RS10 and Renault made history in more ways than one.
The revolution through technology
It sounds like the slogan of a German firm… But it is indeed the victory of the Renault RS10 that paved the way for turbo engines in Formula 1.
Inspired by this success, many teams adopted this technology in the following years, leading to a technological revolution that would dominate Formula 1 in the 1980s. The RS10 is thus not only a high-performance race car but also a major innovation that profoundly influences the evolution of F1.
Today and since then, F1 cars are once again powered by a turbo engine. The technology has somewhat evolved, and the engines are also assisted by electric help, but this technology is indeed in place almost fifty years later!
Statistics of the year 1979:
No.15 – Jean-Pierre Jabouille: Thirteenth in the drivers’ championship with 9 points
1 podium in 15 races including 1 victory: France
No. 16 – René Arnoux: Finishes eighth in the drivers’ championship with 17 points
3 podiums in 15 races
Victor Jabouille, perpetuating the history of his surname
Used to driving in historic races, especially as a curtain raiser to F1, Victor Jabouille will be eager to once again associate the Jabouille name with the Renault brand, particularly with the RS10.
Last year at Imola, just before the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Victor shared these words with us:
They are very numerous, and above all, there are an enormous amount of thrills. In fact, it’s back to the past, you feel the sensations of what these legends experienced. When you drive Emerson Fittipaldi’s car, who is an icon of F1, it’s incredible. The sensations are exceptional… You have the ground effect, you have lateral grip and there is the mechanical gearbox. So, when you push the car to its limits, it’s much more wild. It’s completely different from the current single-seaters. I think we all have something to learn from history.
Below, Victor Jabouille at the wheel of the Fitipaldi Skol F8 alongside Sebastian Vettel driving Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP-8. A terrific mix of history, passion, and emotion!
Here are some Renaults in F1
Renault RS01
Renault RS10
Last year during the Historic French Grand Prix.
Renault RE40
Alain Prost took the wheel of his Renault RE40 again during the World Series by Renault 2011 event.
Renault R28
(Nelson Piquet Jr. in official testing at the Paul Ricard circuit in 2008)
Photo: Nicolas LEROOY for Motors Inside
