Former Grand Prix driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille, the man who took Renault’s first Formula 1 win, has died aged 80. The Frenchman was a key part of Renault’s 1977 entry into Formula 1 – and they were the first manufacturer to use a turbocharged engine. The Alpine team, owned by Renault, said in a statement that it was “incredibly saddened” by Jabouille’s death. He was Renault’s first Grand Prix winner in 1979, a landmark moment in Renault’s journey in Formula 1. Jabouille, an engineer by trade, joined the Renault F1 project from its start to help develop its new turbo engine. But the engine was immediately more powerful than the V8s used by other teams.

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