With the Season Four opener in Hong Kong on December 2 & 3 2017 just weeks away, Renault will be keen to secure its fourth consecutive FIA Formula E Championship title by the season finale in Montreal in July 2018. Having claimed victory in all three previous championships, we look back at three remarkable years of Renault e.dams in Formula E, ahead of its journey to Hong Kong. Scroll down to watch the video.
With a long and illustrious history in motorsport dating back to its victory in the first-ever ‘Grand Prix’ held at Le Mans in 1906, Renault was no stranger to single-seater racing when it pulled onto the grid in the inaugural Formula E Championship in Beijing in 2014. Partnering with DAMS - one of the most successful teams to have ever competed in the junior categories, with multiple titles in F3000, GP2 and A1GP - Renault e.dams was formed back in 2013. From those early days, the operation has grown into one of the most successful teams in nearly four years of Formula E history.
Managed by four-time Formula One World Champion Alain Prost and team DAMS founder Jean-Paul Driot, the team has always enjoyed strong technical support from the manufacturer-backed Renault Sport Racing operation. With drivers Sebastien Buemi and Nico Prost - protégé and son of the team's manager, Alain - on board, the team dominated Season One of the Formula E Championship, ending on 232 points - 61 points ahead of Dragon Racing Formula E Team in second place.
In Season Two, Sebastien Buemi claimed the title as the most successful driver in the series, while team-mate Nico Prost was also a multiple race winner, making the team the only one in the championship to have carried both its drivers to victory.
By Season Three, the team successfully defended its championship titles, finishing the season with a total of 268 points, sitting just 20 points ahead of ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport in second place.
Putting all that work to good use, Renault relied upon its Formula E pedigree to create stunning all-electric concept cars, in the form of the TreZor in 2016 and the Symbioz, released ahead of the Frankfurt motor show earlier this year, alongside its range of fully-electric road cars. “As a pioneer in EV, we have learned a tremendous amount about high-performance electric vehicles and energy management that directly benefits our EV customers," said Thierry Koskas, Groupe Renault EVP sales & marketing.
With preparations now underway for Season Four - Renault e.dams last season in Formula E - the team will be relying on all it's learned in three very successful years of all-electric street racing to secure a fourth championship title. All eyes will be on the infamous blue cars as the lights go green on December 2 and 3 on Hong Kong's Harborfront. Now is not the time for Renault e.dams to rest on its hard-earned laurels - it's not over yet.