New Renault gets radical nosejob
The newly launched Renault stunned many fans and experts because of its chunky nose. While it is arguably not aesthetically pleasing, it is this kind of creativity coupled to efficiency that make Formula One to what it is today.
As the image shows, there are many points of interest to this new Renault, starting with the nose. The team have come a long way from the very thin and designs of the Renault R25 and Renault R26, but have found it increasingly important to have room to position ballast in the front of the car. The Bridgestone tyres require this even more so with the new slicks. The nose is made wide to try to lift up as much air as possible over the cone itself. It is however also thick with a bulge between the front wing supports. Thanks to the fences on each side of the nose - as marked with an arrow - a low pressure area is created to add a little bit more to that frontal downforce.
The front wing itself of course features the FIA-templated middle section, but apart from that is a very particular design. The moveable flaps are kept fairly simple, but are more forward than on any other car seen so far. Having these positioned more forward is beneficial for the aerodynamic properties of the whole car, basically for the same reason as increasing the wheelbase would be.
The front wing end plates are also particularly interesting as they are designed to direct air around the front wheel on both sides. All other end plates are designed to push as much air as possible around the outside of the wheels.
Perhaps the fat nose and extended wing mount plates are to create a low pressure zone aft of the FIA templated center (which by definition produced zero DF). This created low pressure zone would help clear some of the air as it struggles to get around the front tires. This could help them to control it some under the car. The hollow box section endplates of the front wing seem to be an effort to reduce the amount of air striking the tire also. No other team has these endplates.