R27, technology at its most refined

The Renault R27 was unveiled yesterday in Amsterdam and the first thing that struck those present was the elegance of its bodywork. While the new car is a descendant of the R26 it has pushed the limits even further.

Aerodynamics

Modelled by the wind. What makes a big impact right away is the freedom that the engineers seem to have enjoyed in the wind tunnel to design the R27’s bodywork. “Once again our aim was to reduce the size of mechanical components even further to make the whole package even tighter,” smiled Bob Bell, the technical director. “It’s difficult to make big gains when the technical regulations are stable for three years, but we tackled the problem in an aggressive manner.” And the result? Some unique solutions like the continuous line between the pod vanes (that now include the rear-view mirrors) and the rear flick ups. Efficient? Yes and visually striking too!

Transmission

Welcome to the IGC! Over the past several months Renault has been testing its Instantaneous GearChange in secret. It is a quick-shift gearbox that allows lightning-fast changes. This form of transmission has been fitted for 2007 after thorough bench and track testing on the back of an R26 hybrid. “It provides significant performance gains,” said Tim Densham, the chief designer.

All for the tyres

This year the Renault F1 Team will use Bridgestone tyres that will be the same for all the other teams. The Enstone engineers have prepared a wide range of settings for the R27 to get the best out of the rubber. They will also be able to play around with the car’s weight distribution, which is more forward biased in relation to 2006.

R27

Optimisation at every level. The heart of the new car is the R27 engine. In compliance with the new regulations the V8 is based on the one used by the team at the end of last season. It has been optimised by the men from Viry-Châtillon bearing in mind the new restrictions such as a total ban on developing the parts sealed by the FIA and revs that are limited to 19 000 rpm. “The R27 has 10% new parts in relation to the R26,” explains Rob White, the assistant general manager at the French factory.