Renault

Renault F1 is the Renault company's Formula One racing team. Renault has a long if intermittent history of involvement in motor racing, including Ferenc Szisz winning the first French Grand Prix, usually regarded as marking the birth of Grand Prix motor racing. Renault has competed in Formula One (originally via subsidiary Renault Sport), both as an engine supplier and as a constructor from the late 1970s to the present day, with several breaks. Renault introduced the turbo engine to Formula One when they debuted their first car, the Renault RS01 at Silverstone in 1977. Although the Renault team won races and competed for world titles, it was as a supplier of normally aspirated engines to the Benetton and Williams teams in the 1990s that Renault first tasted world championship success. Renault returned to the category as a constructor in 2001 by taking over the Benetton team, which was renamed Renault in 2002. Their first championship as a constructor was achieved in 2005; the same year that they won their first drivers' championship with former test driver, Fernando Alonso, repeating that feat in 2006.
Renault F1 is coordinated from the team's UK base at Enstone, Oxfordshire where the chassis are designed and built. Engines are manufactured at Renault's facility at Viry-Châtillon outside Paris. As well as their championship wins in 2005 and 2006, Renault also contributed to 5 driver's world championships (1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997) and 6 constructor's world championships (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997) as engine supplier for Benetton and Williams.

Currently, Renault F1 is responsible for Renault's involvement in Formula One; Renault's other motorsport activities are conducted through Renault Sport. Renault confirmed Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen as their race drivers for 2007 with Nelson Piquet Jr. and Ricardo Zonta as test drivers. The car for 2007, the R27, was unveiled on 24 January 2007, and bore a new yellow, blue, orange and white livery in deference to the corporate colours of ING. Renault engines are also being used by Red Bull Racing team, while the Ferrari engine contract held by Red Bull Racing was passed on to Scuderia Toro Rosso (otherwise known as the second "development" Red Bull team).

Renault struggled in comparison to their form in recent seasons in Australia, with Giancarlo Fisichella finishing the race in 5th place. Rookie Heikki Kovalainen struggled even more than the Italian, spinning his car as he chased Toyota's Ralf Schumacher and ending up in 10th place. Results didn't improve until the start of the European season, although both drivers finished in the points in the next race at Malaysia. Heikki Kovalainen struggled in Bahrain too, although the gap between himself and Fisichella at the end of the race was not as great as was seen at Melbourne, with Fisichella finishing only 8th. The team's pace began to pick up in Barcelona, with both drivers making it into Q3, setting competitive lap times in the race (4th fastest lap for Kovalainen) and looking set for 5th and 8th, only to be hampered by an identical problem on both fuel rigs, forcing both drivers to make extra pitstops which dropped them back to 7th and 9th.

On November 8, 2007 the FIA have accused Renault F1 of having McLaren F1 technical information in their possession.[5]
According to the charge, the information in hand "included the layout and critical dimensions of the McLaren car as well as details of McLaren's fuelling system, gear assembly, hydraulic control system and suspension".

The hearing on this matter has taken place in Monaco on December 6, 2007. The charge faced by Renault F1, breaching of article 151c of the Sporting Regulations, is the same charge that had been put on McLaren's desk earlier on in 2007 in the espionage controversy involving Ferrari & McLaren. The FIA found Renault F1 in breach of article 151c and have decided not to penalize the team.