René Arnoux
René Arnoux | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 4, 1948 France |
| Occupation | Racing driver |
| Years active | 1978–1989 (Formula One) |
| Known for | Formula One racing driver, European Formula Two Champion (1977) |
René Alexandre Arnoux (born 4 July 1948) is a retired French racing driver who competed in Formula One from to , achieving seven Grand Prix victories across twelve seasons.
Arnoux secured the European Formula Two Championship title in 1977 and attained his highest position in the World Drivers' Championship by finishing third in 1983 while driving for Ferrari. Over his Formula One tenure, he recorded seven wins, set 12 fastest laps, stood on the podium 22 times, and claimed 18 pole positions—the third most among drivers who never won a World Championship. Additionally, he took part in the inaugural season of the Grand Prix Masters series in 2005.
Early life and career
In 1973, Arnoux graduated at the top of his cohort from Winfield Racing School, earning the Volant Shell Competition Scholarship that granted him a complimentary season in Formule Renault sponsored by Shell Oil. He made his Formula Two debut in 1974 racing for Elf, finishing fourth at Nogaro. The following year, he claimed the Formule Super Renault championship. Returning to Formula Two in 1976 with an Elf-supported works Martini-Renault team, Arnoux won three races but narrowly lost the championship to Jean-Pierre Jabouille.
Driving a Martini-Renault, Arnoux captured the European Formula Two Championship by winning events at Silverstone, Hockenheim, Pau, and Nogaro. Consistent podium finishes at Enna-Pergusa and Estoril helped him secure the title with a 12-point lead over American Eddie Cheever of Ron Dennis’s Project Four Racing, and finishing 14 points ahead of teammate Didier Pironi.
Martini and Surtees
Arnoux continued with the Martini outfit as it entered Formula One in , but financial constraints limited the team's competitiveness. Martini withdrew midway through the season due to monetary difficulties. His top results were two ninth-place finishes at the Belgian and Austrian Grands Prix. He also failed to qualify or pre-qualify for several events.
For the last two races of the season, Arnoux switched to Surtees, which was also struggling. His best outcome was ninth place at the United States Grand Prix held at Watkins Glen. Although Surtees showed interest in retaining him, Arnoux secured a drive with Renault for .
Renault
In , Renault expanded their effort to field two cars. While teammate Jean-Pierre Jabouille earned the team's only victory at the French Grand Prix, Arnoux drew attention for an intense battle against Gilles Villeneuve's Ferrari for second place. He achieved four top-six finishes including three podiums, whereas Jabouille only scored points with his win.
The year saw Arnoux claim his first two Formula One victories at the altitude-favored Brazilian and South African Grands Prix, capitalizing on the turbocharged Renault RE20’s power advantage. Early in the season, he led the World Championship standings; however, reliability problems with Renault’s turbo V6 engine hindered his progress. Despite strong performances such as second place at the Dutch Grand Prix, he concluded the year sixth overall with 29 points, trailing champion Alan Jones.
The 1981 campaign was marked by tension following teammate Alain Prost’s arrival, sparking a fierce rivalry. This rivalry culminated at the 1982 French Grand Prix, where Arnoux secured victory ahead of Prost despite team directives favoring Prost due to his championship position. Arnoux denied any agreement regarding team orders and insisted on racing independently. He added another triumph at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix. That season also included a high-speed crash at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix, where a detached wheel caused him to crash; fortunately, safety precautions minimized injury.
Ferrari
After experiencing conflicts with Prost, Arnoux departed from Renault at the close of 1982 to join Ferrari in , partnering with fellow Frenchman Patrick Tambay. During the 1983 season, Arnoux achieved three Grand Prix victories in Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands, remaining a contender for the championship until an engine failure forced his retirement in the final race held in South Africa. He ultimately secured third place in the drivers' standings, trailing behind Nelson Piquet and Prost. The aggressive driving approaches of both Arnoux and Tambay endeared them to fans and played a significant role in Ferrari securing the Constructors' Championship that year. The triumph at Zandvoort marked Arnoux’s seventh and final win in his Formula One tenure.
In , with McLaren drivers Prost and Niki Lauda dominating the field, Arnoux experienced a less fruitful campaign, concluding the year sixth overall with 27 points as teammate Michele Alboreto took on the mantle of team leader. Although he did not claim any wins or pole positions in 1984, Arnoux achieved second-place finishes at both the San Marino and Dallas Grands Prix—the latter representing his last podium appearance. His enthusiasm diminished throughout the season, and following a fourth-place result at the opening round in Brazil, he parted ways with Ferrari by mutual agreement. Swedish driver Stefan Johansson succeeded him. Despite rumors linking him to a switch to Brabham, Arnoux did not partake in any further races that year.
Ligier
Arnoux made a comeback to Formula One in , joining the French outfit Ligier equipped with turbocharged Renault engines. The Pirelli-shod JS27 gradually proved uncompetitive as the season advanced. Initially, his teammate was fellow Frenchman Jacques Laffite, who suffered career-ending injuries midway through the year and was replaced by Philippe Alliot.
For , Ligier intended to exclusively utilize a new turbocharged four-cylinder Alfa Romeo engine in their JS29 chassis. However, after Arnoux publicly disparaged it as "used food," Fiat withdrew support for the project, compelling Ligier to adopt four-cylinder Megatron engines delivering approximately . Arnoux secured Ligier’s sole point that season by finishing sixth at the Belgian Grand Prix; teammate Piercarlo Ghinzani ended up seventh.
In , Ligier transitioned to a 3.5-litre Judd V8 power unit for their JS31 car. Both Arnoux and newcomer Stefan Johansson encountered significant handling difficulties, resulting in multiple failures to qualify—Arnoux twice (at San Marino and France), Johansson six times. His best race result was tenth place in Portugal, marking his first season without scoring World Championship points since his debut in 1978. The failure to qualify at Imola was his first since 1981. During the finale in Adelaide, he collided with race leader Gerhard Berger while being lapped, drawing criticism despite Berger attributing the incident to brake problems.
The season introduced Ligier’s Ford DFR-powered JS33, which showed potential but was overshadowed by critiques of Arnoux’s defensive tactics and reluctance to let faster cars pass—most notably impeding former teammate Prost during the Monaco Grand Prix. Analysts debated whether these challenges stemmed from adapting from turbocharged engines to naturally aspirated machinery.
Concluding his career with 181 World Championship points, Arnoux earned his final points by finishing fifth at the 1989 Canadian Grand Prix. His last Formula One appearance occurred at the rain-affected 1989 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; despite posting competitive warm-up times, he retired after just four laps following contact with Eddie Cheever’s Arrows car.
Post-racing career
Following his retirement from professional racing, Arnoux established an indoor karting enterprise featuring four circuits across France. In addition, he owns and operates two manufacturing plants and regularly takes part in historic motorsport events as a representative of Renault.
Arnoux participated in the Grand Prix Masters series during 2006 and 2007, a competition designed for former Formula One drivers. Between 2007 and 2008, he was a driver for the Renault H&C Classic Team, where he demonstrated Alain Prost's 1983 F1 vehicle at various World Series by Renault occasions.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | European Formula 5000 | Tony Kitchiner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |||||||||
| European Formula Two | Écurie Elf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | ||||||||||
| World Sportscar Championship | Michel Dupont | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | ||||||||||
| 1976 | European Formula Two | Automobiles Martini | 12 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 52 | 2nd | |||||||||
| 1977 | European Formula Two | Equipe Renault Elf | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 52 | 1st | |||||||||
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | J. Haran de Chaunac | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | ||||||||||
| 1978 | Formula One | Automobiles Martini | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |||||||||
| Durex Team Surtees | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1979 | Formula One | Équipe Renault Elf | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 8th | |||||||||
| 1980 | Formula One | Équipe Renault Elf | 14 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 29 | 6th | |||||||||
| 1981 | Formula One | Équipe Renault Elf | 14 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 9th | |||||||||
| 1982
|getTextAlign:left||1982 Formula One World Championship |getTextAlign:left||Renault in Formula One |getTextAlign:center||16 |getTextAlign:center||2 |getTextAlign:center||5 |getTextAlign:center||1 |getTextAlign:center||4 |getTextAlign:center||28 |getTextAlign:center||6th | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1983
|getTextAlign:left||1983 Formula One World Championship |getTextAlign:left||Scuderia Ferrari |getTextAlign:center||15 |getTextAlign:center||3 |getTextAlign:center||4 |getTextAlign:center||2 |getTextAlign:center||7 |getTextAlign:center||49 |getBackground:#FFDF9F||3rd | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1984
|getTextAlign:left||1984 Formula One World Championship |getTextAlign:left||Scuderia Ferrari |getTextAlign:center||16 |getTextAlign:center||0 |getTextAlign:center||0 |getTextAlign:center||2 |getTextAlign:center||4 |getTextAlign:center||27 |getTextAlign:center||6th | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1985
! align="left" ||1985 Formula One World Championship ! align="left" ||Scuderia Ferrari ! align="center" ||1 ! align="center" ||0 ! align="center" ||0 ! align="center" ||0 ! align="center" ||0 ! align="center" ||3 ! align="center" ||17th | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | align="left" | 1986 Formula One World Championship | align="left" | Équipe Ligier | align="center" | 16 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 14 | align="center" | 10th |
| 1987 | align="left" | 1987 Formula One World Championship | align="left" | Equipe Ligier Loto | align="center" | 14 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 19th |
| 1988 | align="left" | 1988 Formula One World Championship | align="left" | Equipe Ligier Loto | align="center" | 14 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | NC |
| 1989 | align="left" | 1989 Formula One World Championship | align="left" | Equipe Ligier Loto | align="center" | 9 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 23rd |
| 1994 | align="left" | 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans | align="left" | Rent-a-Car Racing Team | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 0 | N/A | 12th | ||
| 1995 | 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans | EuroInternational Euromotorsport Racing Inc. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | |||||||||
| 2021 | 2021 Historic Grand Prix of Monaco - Series F | Scuderia Ferrari | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNS | |||||||||
| Template:Center | ||||||||||||||||||
Complete European F5000 Championship results
(key) (Entries in bold denote pole position; entries in italics signify fastest lap.)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Tony Kitchiner | McLaren M19A | Chevrolet 5.0 V8 | BRH | MAL | SIL | OUL | BRH | ZOL | THR Ret |
ZAN | MUG | MNZ | MAL | MON | THR | BRH | OUL | SNE | MAL | BRH | NC | 0 |
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
(key) (Bolded races indicate pole positions; italicized races denote fastest laps)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F2 | Ecurie Elf | Alpine A367 | BMW | BAR | HOC | PAU | SAL | HOC | MUG | KAR | PER | HOC | VLL Ret |
NC | 0 | |||
| Template:F2 | Automobiles Martini | Martini Mk 16 | Renault | HOC 2 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | THR |
rowspan=2 style="background:#DFDFDF;" |2nd |
rowspan=2 style="background:#DFDFDF;" |52 | |||||||||||
|
nowrap |Martini Mk 19 |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | VLL |
|||||||||||||||||
|
nowrap | Equipe Renault Elf |
nowrap | Martini Mk 22 |
nowrap | Renault |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" |
SIL |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | 1st |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | 52 |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions, while those in italics represent fastest laps)
... [Table continues with consistent concise formatting for following seasons and teams] ...| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F1 | Automobiles Martini | Martini MK23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA DNQ |
USW | MON DNPQ |
BEL 9 |
ESP | SWE | FRA 14 |
GBR WD |
GER DNPQ |
AUT 9 |
NED Ret |
ITA | NC | 0 | ||
| Durex Team Surtees | Surtees TS20 | USA 9 |
CAN Ret | ||||||||||||||||||
| Template:F1 | Équipe Renault Elf | Renault RS01 | Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6Turbocharged | ARG Ret |
BRA Ret |
RSA Ret |
USW DNS |
ESP 9 |
BEL Ret |
8th | 17 | ||||||||||
| Renault RS10 | MON Ret |
FRA 3 |
GBR 2 |
GER Ret |
AUT 6 |
NED Ret |
ITA Ret |
CAN Ret |
USA 2 |
||||||||||||
- When a race is halted before completing 75% of its distance, half points are allocated.
Complete Formula One Non-Championship Results
(Legend) (Races shown in italics denote fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F1 | Automobiles Martini | Martini MK23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | INT DNS |
| Template:F1 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 126C2B | Ferrari 021 1.5 V6t | ROC Ret |
| Template:Center | ||||
24 Hours of Le Mans Results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Vehicle | Class | Laps Completed | Overall Position | Class Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:24hLM | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall J. Haran de Chaunac | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Didier Pironi Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Guy Fréquelin |
Renault Alpine A442 | S +2.0 |
0 | DNF | DNF |
| Template:24hLM | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Rent-a-Car Racing Team | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Justin Bell Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Bertrand Balas |
Dodge Viper RT/10 | GT1 | 273 | 12th | 3rd |
| Template:24hLM | United States Euromotorsport Racing Inc. | Template:Country data ITATemplate:Namespace detect showall Massimo Sigala United States Jay Cochran |
Ferrari 333 SP | WSC | 7 | DNF | DNF |
Complete Grand Prix Masters Results
(Legend) Races in bold represent pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Team Golden Palace | Delta Motorsport GPM | Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 | RSA Ret |
|||||
| 2006 | Team Golden Palace | Delta Motorsport GPM | Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 | QAT 9 |
ITA C |
GBR 9 |
MAL C |
RSA C |
Sources
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Pages using small with unknown parameters
- Pages using small with an empty input parameter
- Pages with broken file links
- 1948 births
- Living people
- French racing drivers
- French Formula Renault 2.0 drivers
- French Formula One drivers
- Formula One race winners
- Surtees Formula One drivers
- Ferrari Formula One drivers
- Ligier Formula One drivers
- European Formula Two Championship drivers
- Grand Prix Masters drivers
- Renault Formula One drivers
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- Sportspeople from Isère
- EuroInternational drivers