Formula 1 News

ING Renault: the new R28 

The ING Renault F1 Team unveiled officially today at Renault’s communications headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt its 2008 challenger, the R28 single-seater. The ceremony was attended by Carlos Ghosn, Renault’s President and CEO, along with 500 media and VIP guests from around the world. The French team announced its determination to return to the front of the Formula One field in 2008, thanks to a combination of aggressive design concepts in the new car and the talent of their drivers, Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr.

Bernard Rey, Team’s President, said: “We expect to see the team back in its normal place, fighting at the front of the field. This is the target the team has set for the new car. On the technical side, everybody has worked hard to overcome the problems encountered last year. On the driver front, Fernando Alonso’s return was an important boost. There is optimism inside the team and within Renault.”

Renault’s hopes for the 2008 reason rest on the all-new Renault F1 R28. The car ran for the first time last week in Valencia, on Monday 21 January. During the 4 day test, the car completed over 1500 km, indicating strong early reliability in spite of numerous changes to the 2008 technical regulations, including the introduction of the Standard ECU and long-life gearboxes. The team also made encouraging progress with set-up and performance development, allowing the car’s debut to be judged as promising. The new car represents a shift in design philosophy from its predecessor, in order to extract optimum performance from the Bridgestone tyres that all competitors have used since the start of 2007.”

“The new car features revised weight distribution and a new aerodynamic concept to match, which has been enabled by the introduction of a “zero-keel” front suspension mounting. The monocoque and bodywork to improve the packaging of the car’s mechanical systems while under the skin, the SECU and new gearbox represent the biggest changes. As with all new designs, the team has worked hard to improve stiffness and remove weight throughout the car, to provide maximum set-up adjustability from circuit to circuit.

Renault’s Technical Director Bob Bell, said: “2007 was a very poor year by our standards. For 2008, there are high expectations inside and outside the team, and it is down to us to give the drivers a competitive car. We have put the problems from 2007 behind us and in terms of the car design, we have looked at the problem afresh.

The team pushed very hard in all areas, and particularly on the aerodynamics. The front end of the car has come in for special attention with a brand new front wing and the front suspension. The rear end has also been heavily reworked, and we haven’t neglected the basics. The car ran reliably in its first test, and we made encouraging progress on performance development last week. We are confident that the advances we have seen in the wind tunnel will be reflected on track.”

The R28 will be powered by the RS27 V8 engine, which remains substantially the same as last year’s unit, given the engine homologation rules currently in force. Engine ancillaries must be homologated by the first race of the year, while the team has also had a heavy workload adapting to the demands of the SECU.

Deputy Managing Engines Director Rob White, explained: “The transition to the SECU was a big workload, and remains so. The unit itself is the most obvious change for the new season, but there are many new software tools and programmes that accompany it. We have had to adapt to them all, and learn how to get the most from them. While we are not allowed to develop the engine itself, there remains much to do to assure its reliability in-car performance. These V8’s remain complicated and sophisticated, and we must be vigilant about component supply and quality, and concerning changes in the way the engine is used in the car. We are determined to return to the front, and we have worked tirelessly towards this goal for many months.”

Source: ING Renault

ING Renault R28 Technical Specifications:

• Chassis: Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, manufactured by the Renault F1 Team and designed for maximum strength and stiffness with minimum weight RS27 V8 engine installed as a fully-stressed member.
• Front suspension: Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operate an inboard rocker via a pushrod system. This is connected to a torsion bar and damper units which are mounted at the front of the monocoque. Zero-keel design for front suspension mounting in order to optimise front end aerodynamic performance.
• Rear suspension: Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operating vertically-mounted torsion bars and horizontally-mounted damper units mounted on the top of the gearbox casing.
• Transmission: Seven-speed semi-automatic titanium gearbox with one reverse gear. “Quickshift” system in operation to maximise speed of gearshifts.
• Fuel system: Kevlar-reinforced rubber fuel cell by ATL.
• Cooling system: Separate oil and water radiators located in the car’s sidepods and cooled using airflow from the car’s forward motion
• Electrical: MES-Microsoft standard Electronic Control Unit.
• Braking system: Carbon discs and pads (Hitco); calipers by AP Racing.
• Cockpit: Removable driver’s seat made of anatomically formed carbon composite, with six-point harness seat belt. Steering wheel integrates gear change and clutch paddles.

R28 Dimensions and weight:

• Front: track 1450 mm
• Rear: track 1400 mm
• Overall length: 4800 mm
• Overall height: 950 mm
• Overall width: 1800 mm
• Overall weight: 605 kg, with driver, camera and ballast

Renault RS27 Engine Technical Specifications:

• Capacity: 2400 cc
• Architecture: 90° V8
• Weight: 95 kg
• Max rpm: 19,000 rpm
• Spark plugs: Champion
• ECU: MES SECU
• Fuel: Elf
• Oil: Elf
• Battery: Renault F1 Team