When Jean Rédélé Dreamed of Seeing an Alpine in Formula 1

In the 2022 season, the Alpine F1 Team entered the Formula 1 World Championship. In a way, it was a marketing operation by the Renault Group to rename its F1 cars with the brand created by Jean Rédélé. But leaving this idea there and not going deeper into the story would be unfair. Firstly, because both brands have lived, hand in hand, competition in many fields. And secondly because seeing an Alpine on the Formula 1 grid was, in a way, a dream of Jean Rédélé that came true fifteen years after his disappearance.

And to open this chapter of the Dieppe firm's history, we go to the year 1963. Jean Rédélé still maintained his independence from Renault but the technical relationship with them led him to knock on Billancourt's door seeking help for his first Formula 1 project. He hoped to carry out a joint effort. But Renault's leaders refused and Alpine's boss was reluctantly forced to shelve his idea due to lack of resources.

We are in 1968. Elf, the French national oil company, was looking for a team to enter Formula 1 and showcase the potential of its fuels. It convinced Alpine to venture into the discipline, and thus the A350 project was born. Since 1966, Renault had already managed a significant part of Alpine, and for the second time Rédélé had to present the project to Renault's leaders for approval.

The A350, conceived by Richard Bouleau and Henri Gauchet, was to feature a 2996 cc engine according to regulations at that time which limited displacement to 3 liters. It was the V8 created by Amédée Gordini, «The Wizard,» for the Alpine A220 that raced in sports car events. It was powered by four Weber twin-barrel carburetors, a bold choice as fuel injection was already being adopted in F1 at that time. For reliability reasons, power was limited to 310 HP, a hundred less than its rivals. As for weight, at 540 kilos it was heavy: the Lotus weighed 49 kilos less.

Although the weight/power ratio was poor, Alpine's men had an ace up their sleeve. Bouleau had designed a «flat» suspension where both sides worked together. Thus, if one side compressed, so did the other, allowing the car to take corners with minimal body roll. This allowed for higher cornering speeds among other advantages. Another highlight was that it would debut new Michelin radial tires, quite a revolution.

Rédélé knew that Renault would not accept having its name associated with an Alpine F1 project but thought that if the single-seater could achieve good results, Renault would be «forced» to accept it.

The car left the workshops in April 1968 and initial tests were conducted that same month. The project progressed quickly with plans to participate in the French Grand Prix on July 7 at Rouen circuit with Mauro Bianchi at the wheel. But Renault wasn't willing to continue; they feared that with those hundred fewer horsepower it would perform poorly and harm their image. Thus, at the last moment not only did they block the project but went further: they ordered its destruction.

Elf continued dreaming of entering top-tier racing. In 1972 they pressured Renault into accepting a project involving their two sports subsidiaries at that time: Gordini for engines and Alpine for chassis. The story of why Renault entered Formula 1 is one of real intrigue involving figures like François Guiter from Elf and his ally at Renault Jean Teramorsi (Renault's communication head), who enabled early '70s development of a Gordini V6 engine under Claude Hardt's direction; Hardt wouldn't see his project's completion after perishing in a shipwreck.

Thus in 1975 Bernard Dudot fitted a turbo onto Hardt's V6 engine mounted on an Alpine-built barquette which competed in endurance racing with drivers Jean Pierre Jabouille Gérard Larrousse aiming for Le Mans victory (achieved in '78). But Guiter envisioned further; he discreetly commissioned development of a turbocharged 1500 cc version—was he thinking about fitting this engine into Tyrrell's six-wheeler? Guiter (who passed away in '14) never answered this question.

The idea of competing against naturally aspirated three-liter engines with just 1500 cc seemed crazy; few believed it possible when F1 rules aimed since '66 intended eliminating supercharged engines from competition.

They might have thought so but not Guiter—by late '75 he convinced Terramorsi without needing payment this time—to commission construction by Alpine under André de Cortanze's design—a single-seater testing platform for developing their turbocharged engine.

Renault accepted this project starting initial tests using an «experimental» F1 car built by Alpine painted black powered by their two-liter Turbo engine.

But Renault wanted things done their way; since taking full control over Alpine back in '75 relations between Boulogne-Billancourt Dieppe soured badly—Gordini disappeared while Rédélé tried resisting desperately making public announcements inviting media coverage during tests—it proved futile though as Renault intended merging both entities forming «Renault Sport» under Gerard Larrousse's leadership established '76.

Alpine got sidelined from F1 projects altogether; unable bearing loss over control regarding company/projects anymore Jean Rédélé retired shortly thereafter—the car subsequently repainted yellow presented itself henceforth solely branded «Renault Prototype Laboratory Formula One»—thus began another chapter devoid mention whatsoever regarding «Alpine.»