Renault celebrates 110 years since its first Grand Prix victory

In 1906, Renault and his revolutionary Type AK entrusted to Ferenc Szisz won the very first official GP at Le Mans, ensuring the Hungarian driver and the manufacturer a unique place in the history of the F1.

Contested on public roads around Le Mans on June 26 and 27, 1906, the first Grand Prix was held over two days. Renault entered the Type AK, equipped with a lightweight chassis and a 12,9-liter four-cylinder engine. 32 cars were at the start of this long event, but many failed in the stifling heat. After 1238,16 km of racing completed at an incredible average speed of 100,9 km/h, Szisz nevertheless crossed the finish line 32 minutes ahead of his closest pursuer. A triumph achieved thanks to the technical innovation of its 90 horsepower car and the new, easily replaceable tires from the Michelin brothers.
 
Born in a small town in the Békés county in the Hungarian zone of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ferenc Szisz trained as a boilermaker before starting to work on mechanical parts in the early 1890s. Unsatisfied with his work, he then headed for Budapest and Vienna, the great capitals of the time.
 
He found employment in the growing automobile and aviation sector before moving to Munich, where he became familiar with the electrical equipment of motor vehicles at Bosch.
 
After Munich, Szisz moved to Paris to work in a factory producing machine tools. After Renault purchased one of these machines, Szisz joined the company as an engineer and developer. His relationship with Renault would prove to be long and fruitful. Initially placed in the machine tool department, it was transferred to the production section, where careful and refined work was required on the piston, axle and bearing cutting, all requiring manual finishing at that time.
 
Szisz's skills were quickly recognized and he became Marcel Renault's racing mechanic. At the time, he sat next to the driver while testing his cars for the grueling city-to-city events. In 1902, he was also chosen to fill this role with Louis Renault before becoming a Renault racing driver after the tragic death of Marcel during the Paris-Madrid of 1903. He immediately found success by obtaining fifth place in the Cup Gordon-Bennett 1905 contested on the Circuit d'Auvergne near Clermont-Ferrand.
 
The same year, in October, Renault sent a team to the United States for the Vanderbilt Cup on Long Island in New York State, alongside other French and Italian manufacturers. In a field including eminent celebrities of the time such as Felice Nazzaro and Louis Chevrolet, Szisz placed fifth in a classic won by the Darracq of Frenchman Victor Hémery.
 
With the growth of the sport, the first Grand Prix was organized in 1906 on the roads of Le Mans. Szisz's triumph earned him 45 francs, an enormous sum for the time, but also French citizenship and a decoration from the French state.
 
His success assured him and Renault a place forever in the pantheon of motor racing.