I think the simplest interpretation is best suited:Blackout wrote: ↑18 Feb 2022, 08:06This Rossi comment is intriguing: "The engine has been redesigned entirely," Rossi said. "The split turbo is one element. We will [also] make it more compact, which enables us to move it closer to the driver and therefore the centre of gravity of the car."
A split-turbo à la Mercedes or Honda would, on the contrary, will push the engine back, because when you mount the engine on the monocoque, the compressor and its air ducts and the oil tank will obviously need to be inserted in a recess in the rear bulkhead of the monocoque, and a split-turbo layout will need a bigger recess than a classic Renault layout like in the picture. And that bigger recess will take volume from the fuel tank, so you'll need a virtually bigger fuel tank, and since teams generally prefer to lengthen their fuel tank instead of widening them or making them taller, that would push the engine rearwards...
IMO that's the only advantage of the Renault layout over the split one, the front of the V6 is less crowded and more plain, so it can be pushed forward. That's what Mclaren's technical director said about it in 2018.
But the good thing is that the mandatory weight distribution is more rear-biased this year. So pushing the engine a little back shouldn't be a big problem.
Unless
- they have inserted the compressor inside the V, like Honda in 2015-2017...
- made the fuel tank wider
- made the battery (which also need its own recess under the fuel tank) smaller to regain some lost volume...
The Renault ES didnt change much shape/size-wise between 2014 and 2018 at least. Maybe the 2022 one is smaller...
Or maybe Rossi is just talking about the turbo and its CoG. With a split turbo, the compressor will obviously be closer to the centre of the car, while the turbine will be closer to the engine and closer to the CoG of the car :drunk:
The masses will move forward because the engine will be much more compact, split turbo or not (better packaging and thinner walls). That effectively moves the weight distribution even if you lose some centimeters in the front to accommodate the compressor.
I just asked and from the Alpine team they tell me that the photo that has been circulating on Twitter for a few minutes is NOT the real car or its colors.
