Renault has introduced their new car, the Renault RS17, for the season 2017 F1, and we have also known that will have a major sponsor Spanish, and that is the Spanish company Mapfre insurance. As has long been rumored with the approach of Carlos Sainz Jr. the Renault team, and although at first glance looks like a plan is worse than continue at Toro Rosso and then scale up to Red Bull, it seems that the energy drinks have already been opted clearly for Verstappen, so that little room is left for madrid there. Therefore, Mapfre and the interest of the brand of the diamond by Carlos closer, who knows if for the next 2018…
The French team headquarters in Enstone, England, has introduced its second car since to return as a team of F1 last year, leaving behind the days of simple engine builder. The now defunct team Lotus was the one who stayed with the infrastructure of the vehicle and then return it and resurrect the team Renault F1. Last year they wanted to return to their origins with a yellow color predominant, but this year they have preferred the black, which reminds a little Lotus, try to take over the entire rear area of the car, leaving the single yellow to the nose. The problem has been that the presentation has been characterised by a certain lack of light, and the black tones don’t make it easy too see the news in the car.
Aerodynamics
morro last year also ended in a kind of nose or tip, but this year is quite different in that area. Last year, the nose was quite wide until the end, but has now opted to delay the brackets where mounted on the front wing and narrow the nose to allow more space for the flows of air travel makes the rear of the car. The front wing is pretty worked, similar to those we have seen in Williams and Sauber with the shape of a delta, only that in this case highlights a detail, and that is that the brackets that hold it to the nose have been lengthened back to channel the air that travels under the nose. The nose is quite normal, with a gradual fall, a few canards on the sides to channel the air, and also a few profiles (turning vanes under the nose something simple, different to what we normally see on other computers, which are far more complex. In this case, in the top of the hill we can also see a cave to the S-Duct.
If we go back, we see that Renault has followed in the footsteps of the two cars presented so far, the Sauber and the Williams, reducing outlets pontoons and elevating them to the highest zone to leave a larger channel to slide the air of this area and go towards the back so important in terms of aerodynamic efficiency. Like Sauber, they have a fall behind quite compact. The designers have left the fairing later, where it exits the hot air after having cooled systems, high to let the air that has been getting from the front to pass by this semitúnel towards the area of the upper profile of the diffuser, helping to extract the air that travels under the flat bottom to get more grip.
bargeboards have also grown in size, adapting to the rules. And although they are simple in the first few designs that we are seeing, sure that the aerodinamistas iran complicándolas for best results. Their task is to simply condition the air dirty or turbulent that comes from the suspensions or the spoiler delanterio, to get it out by the outside area of the sidepods, or to the radiators. Other “side effects” of these plates is to reduce the drag in this area and generate vortices, energizing the air flows that are going back. Something that also draws attention in the middle part of the vehicle are the air conditioners of the pontoons, or sidepods, which are very curved, instead of the vertical planes seen up to now.
I would Not like to miss other important details, such as, for example, the airbox. For my have created a solution quite intelligent, and that he had not seen before, at least as radical. The designers have lifted to a large extent the air intakes with an oval shape and very flattened, narrowing down a lot the lower area of the fairing that is behind the helmet of the pilot, and thus removing a great obstacle that otherwise would be in the height of the rear wing, that is to say, prevents that will remove air and therefore load. In the oval, flattened three entries or ducts to introduce air: central to the turbocharger to the intake of the engine; and two other sides for cooling, and possibly the intercooler and the oil cooler of the gearbox, as usual. The diffuser, as is logical, it has not been shown, but it seems that the car has a good angle of rake seen the elevation of the rear area which is visible in the pictures. We have already said that the diffuser is higher this year with the new rules. As for the rear wing, is quite similar to the FW40 and the C36, nothing to point out in this respect. Only that it is preceded of a shark fin is quite large and lump, more like the Sauber in terms of form, as in the render of Williams only there was a profile out of the fairing of the engine, without getting a shark fin as such.
Engine
finally, we know that Renault has been very much pressed by Red Bull, its main client, to improve the engine to forced marches after seeing how bad they were in 2014 and 2015, that’s why in 2016 have been some significant improvements and now they expect to be on par with Ferrari engine for 2017. It is expected that the engine will improve a lot, in addition to have sought out technology partners good for that to accelerate, and attached to the withdrawal of the tokens of this year, we might see a Renault very competitive in terms of unit of power. This is mixed with the chassis of Red Bull, which I think will be the best of the grill, it could be turned into successes of the brand, although not with your team, yes your client of energy drinks. However do not expect large differences between motorists, which are estimated to be below 2%, although with the elimination of the tokens who knows. What if you can expect is less reliability at the beginning of the season, as the new regulation will be leveraged to create new designs and test new technology, not being tested on the track will fail.
we also Know that the signature Exxon/Mobile fuel and lubricant of Texas that has been associated with McLaren for years has gone to Red Bull to provide new compositions of these liquids. Now McLaren-Honda will use the british group BP/Castrol, which will also share with the team Renault F1. I don’t know what has a better research team, Exxon/Mobile vs BP/Castrol, to the improvements in gasoline and oils. I am concerned about something, and that is that I do not know up to that point will be good for Renault and Honda the share to Castrol, dividing resources to investigate both cases and not having single vendor. In addition it is rumored that the bonds are stronger with Renault with McLaren for the contract to be signed. What are the advantages? I don’t know, perhaps the closeness of the facilities, and do not know if that applied to a motor may be applicable to the other, I guess some things yes, and others not by the technological differences between the two.
conclusion of the first view of the RS17, doesn’t seem like a bad car, but considering how bad they have been since Lotus had the problems that we all know and that made him go from being a team that was fighting for podiums to one that struggled at the end of the grill. Even when they managed to equip the best engine of the grid, Mercedes, managed to make a good performance. Seemed pretty lost lately, and the purchase of Renault nor left to see significant improvements in the past year, as the car they had was an adaptation which had already for Mercedes, and I think that made things pretty fast for the delays with the ultimatum of the purchase. By that, I don’t expect that are struggling with the large, but I do hope that this year, with more resources and more time of development, may struggle in positions slightly higher than the grill. Perhaps getting ahead of Haas and Sauber, fighting with Toro Rosso and Force India? We will have to wait to see it, but I think that Q3 will be a thing of Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Williams, in that order… just Intuition!
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