Elf 2, born under AutoHebdo

They could have been called Alpine if Renault had accepted it, but due to their foreign engines, these "half-breeds" were adopted by Elf. They nevertheless paved the way leading the Régie to F1, in the wake of the European title won by Jean-Pierre Jabouille with the Renault V6 used in 1976.

Published on 28/08/2022 à 15:00

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In Pau in 1973, François Cevert gave the Elf 2 its first victory © DPPI

Since its creation in 1967, Elf has been heavily involved with French manufacturers, thanks to the dynamism of François Guiter, responsible for public relations for the oil company. In 1971, Alpine made a triumphant return to the circuit with a F3 designed by André de Cortanze (chassis) and Marcel Hubert (aerodynamics), powered by an engine Renault prepared by Bernard Dudot. Patrick Depailler was crowned French champion in front of his teammate Jean-Pierre Jabouille, the two Elf foals evolving in parallel in F2, on Tecno. It was therefore logical thatAlpine songe à capitaliser sur les qualités de sa F3 pour passer à l’échelon supérieur. Problème : Renault ne disposait pas d’un moteur capable de concourir à un tel niveau, alors que la F2 passait du 1 600 cm3 au 2 litres. Dans ces conditions, l’emploi d’un propulseur étranger était nécessaire, ce qui était incompatible avec les