The 1983 RE40 was the first Renault F1 to use a carbon chassis, built by Hurel-Dubois. Designed by Michel Tetu, the car proved very competitive, allowing Prost to remain in contention for the drivers' title. Prost won in France, Belgium, Great Britain and Austria but some decisive mistakes like the one in Holland and a certain lack of engine reliability prevented him from taking home the world championship, which was won by Piquet with Brabham-BMW. The other Renault driver was the Italian-American Eddie Cheever.