René Arnoux

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René Arnoux
Nationality 22px-Flag of France.png French
Years 1978 - 1989
Team(s) Martini, Surtees, Renault, Ferrari, Ligier
Races 164 (149 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 7
Podiums 22
Points 181
Poles 18
Fastest laps 12
First race 1978 South African Grand Prix
First win 1980 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last win 1983 Dutch Grand Prix
Last race 1989 Australian Grand Prix


René Alexandre Arnoux (born July 4, 1948, Grenoble, France) is a retired French race car driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons (1978 to 1989). In 2006 he raced in the inaugural season of the Grand Prix Masters formula for retired F1 drivers.

Biography

European Formula Two champion in 1977, René Arnoux graduated to Formula One in 1978, with the small French Martini team of Tico Martini. In an organisation with insufficient means to figure in the highest echelon of the sport, Arnoux was unable to demonstrate his abilities. Martini abandoned Formula One during the season, having run short of money. Arnoux found refuge at the end of the season at the Surtees team, but once again found himself in a team on the edge of failure.

An ex-Jabouille Renault RS01 of 1979 being demonstrated by René Arnoux in 2007.

For the 1979 season, Arnoux joined the Renault team, which entered two cars for the first time since its debut in 1977. The team's only victory of the year was taken by Arnoux's teammate Jean-Pierre Jabouille at the French Grand Prix at the Dijon-Prenois circuit, but Arnoux took the headlines due to a fierce but good-natured wheel-banging battle with Gilles Villeneuve for second place.

In the 1980 season, Arnoux took his first two Formula One victories, but a lack of reliability prevented him from playing a part in the fight for the world title, although he took three pole positions. Arnoux's situation was complicated in 1981 by the arrival of Alain Prost at Renault. Inevitably their rivalry on track flared up off the track and relations between the two men deteriorated, dividing the small world of French sport. The conflict reached its peak at the 1982 French Grand Prix at Le Castellet. The drivers took the first one-two in Renault's history in Formula One, Arnoux finishing ahead of Prost. Prost was furious, considering that his teammate had not kept to the team orders agreed before the race, according to which he should have ceded the win to Prost, who was better placed in the championship. Arnoux replied that no orders had been given before the race and that he was free to drive his own race. He took one other win at the Italian Grand Prix at the end of the season. He was also lucky to walk away from a high speed crash after brake failure at the end of the long straight in the Dutch Grand Prix.

Arnoux's 1983 Ferrari 126C3.

The pairing of Prost and Arnoux having become unsustainable, Arnoux left Renault at the end of 1982 to join Scuderia Ferrari. With three victories, at the Canadian, German, and Dutch Grands Prix, he was in contention for the world title for much of the season, but was left behind by his rivals Prost and Nelson Piquet in the championship run in. After a less successful second season at Ferrari, during which his new teammate Michele Alboreto progressively took the initiative from him, Arnoux was suddenly dismissed after the first Grand Prix of the 1985 championship, the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Without a drive for the majority of the 1985 season, Arnoux made his return to Formula One in 1986 for the Ligier team, where he delivered several good performances. However, despite maintaining his motivation, Ligier were not competitive and Arnoux went through three seasons at the back of the grid before leaving Formula One after the 1989 season. Towards the end of his career Arnoux attracted some controversy; he was frequently accused of blocking faster cars in qualifying and when being lapped. He finished his career with 181 Grand Prix points.

René Arnoux has since started an indoor karting business called Kart'in, consisting of four tracks in France, two in the Parisian area, one in the suburbs of Lyons and one near Marseille. He also owns and manages two factories, frequently appears and drives in historical events on behalf of Renault and resides in Paris.

Arnoux was one of the drivers invited to take part in the Grand Prix Masters championship in 2006 and 2007, restricted to former Formula One drivers.

Complete Formula One Results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Team WDC Points
1978 Martini ARG
BRA
RSA
DNQ
USW
MON
DNPQ
BEL
9
ESP
SWE
FRA
14
GBR
GER
DNPQ
AUT
9
NED
Ret
ITA
USA
9
CAN
Ret
Surtees - 0
1979 Renault ARG
Ret
BRA
Ret
RSA
Ret
USW
DNS
ESP
9
BEL
Ret
MON
Ret
FRA
3
GBR
2
GER
Ret
AUT
6
NED
Ret
ITA
Ret
CAN
Ret
USA
2
Renault 8th 17
1980 Renault ARG
Ret
BRA
1
RSA
1
USW
9
BEL
4
MON
Ret
FRA
5
GBR
NC
GER
Ret
AUT
9
NED
2
ITA
10
CAN
Ret
USA
7
Renault 6th 29
1981 Renault USW
8
BRA
Ret
ARG
5
SMR
8
BEL
DNQ
MON
Ret
ESP
9
FRA
4
GBR
9
GER
13
AUT
2
NED
Ret
ITA
Ret
CAN
Ret
LVS
Ret
Renault 9th 11
1982 Renault RSA
3
BRA
Ret
USW
Ret
SMR
Ret
BEL
Ret
MON
Ret
USE
10
CAN
Ret
NED
Ret
GBR
Ret
FRA
1
GER
2
AUT
Ret
SUI
Ret
ITA
1
LVS
Ret
Renault 6th 28
1983 Ferrari BRA
10
USW
3
FRA
7
SMR
3
MON
Ret
BEL
Ret
USE
Ret
CAN
1
GBR
5
GER
1
AUT
2
NED
1
ITA
2
EUR
9
RSA
Ret
Ferrari 3rd 49
1984 Ferrari BRA
Ret
RSA
Ret
BEL
3
SMR
2
FRA
4
MON
3
CAN
5
USE
Ret
USA
2
GBR
6
GER
6
AUT
7
NED
11
ITA
Ret
EUR
5
POR
9
Ferrari 6th 27
1985 Ferrari BRA
4
POR
SMR
MON
CAN
USA
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
NED
ITA
BEL
EUR
RSA
AUS
Ferrari 17th 3
1986 Ligier BRA
4
ESP
Ret
SMR
Ret
MON
5
BEL
Ret
CAN
6
USA
Ret
FRA
5
GBR
4
GER
4
HUN
Ret
AUT
10
ITA
Ret
POR
7
MEX
15
AUS
7
Ligier 10th 14
1987 Ligier BRA
SMR
DNS
BEL
6
MON
11
USA
10
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
HUN
Ret
AUT
10
ITA
10
POR
Ret
ESP
Ret
MEX
Ret
JPN
Ret
AUS
Ret
Ligier 19th 1
1988 Ligier BRA
Ret
SMR
DNQ
MON
Ret
MEX
Ret
CAN
Ret
USA
Ret
FRA
DNQ
GBR
18
GER
17
HUN
Ret
BEL
Ret
ITA
13
POR
10
ESP
Ret
JPN
17
AUS
Ret
Ligier - 0
1989 Ligier BRA
DNQ
SMR
DNQ
MON
12
MEX
14
USA
DNQ
CAN
5
FRA
Ret
GBR
DNQ
GER
11
HUN
DNQ
BEL
Ret
ITA
9
POR
13
ESP
DNQ
JPN
DNQ
AUS
Ret
Ligier 23rd 2



3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Scuderia Ferrari
Personnel:
22px-Flag of France.png Jean Todt | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Mario Almondo | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Stefano Domenicali | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Luca Baldisseri
Current drivers:
22px-Flag of Finland.png Kimi Räikkönen | 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Felipe Massa | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Luca Badoer | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Giancarlo Fisichella (Test Driver) 22px-Flag of Spain.png Marc Gené (Test Driver)
Notable Former drivers:
22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Alberto Ascari | 22px-Flag of Argentina.png Juan Manuel Fangio | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Mike Hawthorn | 22px-Flag of Austria.png Niki Lauda | 22px-Flag of South Africa.png Jody Scheckter | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png John Surtees | 22px-Flag of the United States.png Phil Hill | 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Rubens Barrichello | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Eddie Irvine | 22px-Flag of France.png Jean Alesi | 22px-Flag of France.png Alain Prost | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Nigel Mansell | 22px-Flag of Austria.png Gerhard Berger | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Michele Alboreto | 22px-Flag of France.png René Arnoux | 22px-Flag of France.png Patrick Tambay | 22px-Flag of the Canada.png Gilles Villeneuve | 22px-Flag of Argentina.png Carlos Reutemann | 20px-Flag of Switzerland.png Clay Regazzoni | 22px-Flag of the United States.png Mario Andretti | 22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Jacky Ickx | 22px-Flag of Germany.png Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Lorenzo Bandini
Formula One cars:
125 | 275 | 340 | 375 | 500 | 553 | 625 | 555 | D50 | 801 | 412 | 246 | 256 | 156 | 158 | 1512 | 312 | 312B | 312T | 126C | 156/85 | F1/86 | F1/87 | 640 | 641 | 642 | 643 | F92A | F93A | 412T | F310 | F310B | F300 | F399 | F1-2000 | F2001 | F2002 | F2002B | F2003-GA | F2004 | F2004M | F2005 | 248 | F2007 | F2008 | F60 | F10 | 150° Italia | F2012