1977 Renault RS01 Formula One

The Renault RS01 put a turbocharged 1.5-litre engine onto the Formula One grid in 1977. Its importance comes from the risk Renault took and the engineering path it opened. This profile covers the original single-seater programme, keeping it distinct from the much later R.S.01 sports racing car.

The debut that changed the question

Renault’s museum dates its exhibit to 1978 but places the Formula One debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix. The profile uses 1977 for the programme’s beginning and retains the workbook’s 1978 reference in the selection audit. That separation matters: a museum car’s reference date need not be the debut date of the design, and neither date by itself proves which chassis appeared at a particular race.

Renault museum: F1 RS01

A small V6 against larger rivals

The French factory account identifies a 1,492 cc turbocharged V6. The English museum translation incorrectly calls it an inline-six; the French technical description controls here. The smaller displacement reflected the regulatory alternative available to supercharged engines. It did not automatically confer usable performance: obtaining dependable boost response, cooling and durability was part of the challenge of making the concept work on a Grand Prix circuit.

Progress before the breakthrough

The early programme should be understood as development rather than an immediate procession of victories. Renault documents a fourth-place finish in the United States in 1978. The first Renault turbo victory arrived with the separate RS10 in 1979, not with the RS01. Keeping those identities apart preserves the RS01’s real achievement: demonstrating a route that the team and eventually the wider field would develop further.

Renault museum: F1 RS01

Why a surviving display needs its own history

The museum lists four RS01 vehicles and provides a 525 hp reference specification. Neither figure authenticates a particular car’s present engine or its condition. A surviving single-seater may have been rebuilt, demonstrated or displayed with replacement equipment. For interpretation, the conspicuous early turbo packaging is valuable evidence of design, while the chassis plate, works records and restoration file remain the basis for individual provenance.

French factory engine description

Identify the Formula One car before following the name

A catalogue should spell out RS01 Formula One and its 1977–78 context. The later Renault Sport R.S.01 is a closed-wheel customer racing car with a different purpose, construction and era. Search results and image databases can mix the two because punctuation varies. Confirm the open-wheel body, period architecture and source caption before attaching an image, then keep race claims tied to the correct driver, event and chassis.

Specifications and identity reference

Rarity and production scope

Renault’s museum reports four vehicles for the historical RS01 programme. This is an attributed manufacturer reference, not an independent audit of every surviving chassis or replacement tub. The profile is Archive-only and carries no customer road-production total. The exhibit’s 1978 date, the programme’s 1977 debut and the separate RS10’s 1979 victory are explicitly distinguished.

This is an Archive record. Concepts, restored heritage vehicles, works cars and competition programmes are not added to customer road-production totals. A programme profile does not establish how many physical chassis were made, and repeated exhibition appearances do not create additional vehicles.

What the photograph represents

The original Formula One Renault RS01 displayed at the Deutsches Museum. Later museum presentation of the 1977–78 programme; the image does not inspect its chassis number, installed engine or current operational condition.

Related Renault heritage profiles

• 1980 Renault RE20 Formula One
• 1981 Renault RE30 Formula One

Frequently asked questions

Did the RS01 take Renault’s first Formula One victory?

No. The first Renault turbo victory came with the separate RS10 in 1979. The RS01 established the earlier development programme.

Why is the profile dated 1977 when the inventory says 1978?

1977 is the factory-documented Grand Prix debut. The museum’s exhibit reference and original inventory date remain visible in the audit.

What is the production-count boundary for this profile?

Renault’s museum reports four vehicles for the historical RS01 programme. This is an attributed manufacturer reference, not an independent audit of every surviving chassis or replacement tub. The profile is Archive-only and carries no customer road-production total. The exhibit’s 1978 date, the programme’s 1977 debut and the separate RS10’s 1979 victory are explicitly distinguished.

Sources and further reading

1. Renault museum: F1 RS01
2. French factory engine description
3. Renault: thirty years of Formula One

Research checked 17 October 2026. Linked factory announcements and heritage records support the specifically attributed claims. Photographic descriptions identify the illustrated subject. Design analysis and suggested authentication steps are editorial interpretation.