Formula One car development blog
More front wing downforce drives Alonso
It is no secret that Renault have put high hopes on their Barcelona update, and the Grand Prix even stunned their own guys. Apart from their new elongated engine cover, the French team also developed a new front wing that features important changes to the bridge element. In order to add downforce and driveability, the upper element is now split up in downforce generating aerofoils on each side and a central bridge section. The latter is now an almost perfectly round bow over the nose cone. The outer elements that are designed for downforce are now wider and have an increased surface. At their connections to the central bridge bow, Renault also added tiny endplates, a first in bridge wing designs.
The wing was first used at the Spanish GP but was tested at first by Nelson Piquet during the pre-european Barcelona test.
Renault watch and copy Red Bull engine cover
Renault is the first team to have copied Red Bull's overside engine cover. The team must have looked closely to its fellow Renault powered team as the item very much resembles Red Bull's design. The British team introduced theirs at the last test before the start of the season, while Alonso has been busy trying the item in the second day of Barcelona testing. The team also chose to fit their car with the raced front wing instead of the new one in order to better analyse the performance advantage that the new engine cover brings.
Renault add downforce at Bahrain
Renault have added some extra downforce on the R28 to cope with the braking and acceleration requirements of the Bahrain track. Just like Ferrari, the team opted to create a new front wing with more panel surface, especially in the centre of the car. In Renault's case this means that the nose cone is now deep in between the front wing's upper plane. In addition to that, both drivers are now running with a straight rear wing. The model was already run at Australia and Malaysia, but in both cases the drivers opted for the curved wing in qualifying and the race.
Renault copy sidepod panel idea from BMW
While it can be an independent development, Renault required about a month since the BMW introduction to also connect the sidepod panel with the barge board. The French team ran their new item at the last winter test for the first time and was used all the weekend in Australia. The panel is larger than the BMW and particularly aims to direct air around the sidepod and onto the rear wing. When designed correctly, such a device can generate considerable amounts of downforce at the rear of the car and we can logically expect others teams to come up with something similar in the next few months.
Renault introduce new rear wing
Whether this is the rumoured W-wing of Renault remains to be seen (rumours tend to be wrong sometimes), the team introduced its new wing just this weekend (upper image). The difference with the wing that was tested through the winter (lower left inset) is the curvature close to the end plates. While similar designs have appeared at Renault, this one is completely new and very much resembles the current rear wing of McLaren (lower right inset). The wing also has twin central supports and is designed for medium downforce circuits. It is built to generate most downforce in the middle part of the wing. The curves on the outer extremities help decrease the vortices behind the end plates and thus reduces drag.
Renault go back to inboard mirrors
While it was expected that more and more teams would revert their inboard mirrors to have them located behind the front wheels, somehow it turned out to be the opposite. Renault had its mirrors integrated into the sidepod panels while on the R28 the have made them pointy and very close to the chassis. The wing mirrors are even partly above the cockpit sides and allowed for very short connections between the monocoque and the mirror covers. You can also see from the top view that the mirrors extend exactly as much from the centre of the car as the (yellow) "ears" ahead of the cockpit opening
Renault design drooping nose for zero keel
Similar to Honda's totally different strategy, Renault had to do something very different to get back on form. The French team have gotten rid of their V-keel and instead designed a low nose that allowed the team to hold on to their almost horizontal frontal wishbones. As a comparison, the RA108 is on top with the R28 on the bottom. It is clear that the nose of the Renault is substantially longer and also lower between the front wheels. Metric markings are added, using the Renault front wheelnut as a reference. While the lower wishbones connected to the chassis lower than the wheel nut on the R28, Honda has them attached higher, at least as high as the nut itself. As a result, Renault have a potentially better suspension geometry. That was most likely the aim of the French team as it will allow them to adapt better to the Bridgestones after their tyre struggle last year.
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