Renault's R27: Team goes 'Orange'

Renault's R27: Team goes 'Orange'
By: Jeremy McMullen

To those who have ING accounts, ever wonder where the money goes when it is transferred to the big 'orange' bank? The answer is: It goes to help pay for the ING Renault F1 team. Proudly displayed as the team's title sponsor, ING looks to invest in the constructors champions for the past two seasons and hopes it will yield great profits. To achieve that return, ING and Renault invested much time and effort in its newest contender.

In the beautiful city of Amsterdam, where there quite possibly are more miles of waterways than roads, the new ING Renault team revealed its R27 chassis. Artistic and colorful dancing, as well as, an array of video and light presentations were part of the festivities leading up to the new R27 being lowered before the audience in all its new colorful majesty. Adorned in its new sponsor's colors, very little of the old yellow and blue paint scheme remains. And yet, it's not just the paint scheme that's new on the R27.

The Renault team is not just starting out 2007 with a new sponsor. There are many questions hanging in the air for the back-to-back constructors champions. Minus the talent and ability of two-time champion Fernando Alonso, it is easy to wonder whether the Renault team will remain at the top. Of course there has to be more pressure on Fisichella to pick up the mantle and take the team to victory. However, Renault believes that it has given their drivers a car capable of success.

The basis or capability for success comes from the fact that the R27 isn't entirely 'new'. The new Renault still bears many things in common with the R26 of a year ago. However, the R27 does sport some interesting and radical changes over the R26. Yet, many of the new design features on the R27 are refinements of already existing concepts. However, these refinements and the new paint scheme, no doubt, give the Renault the appearance of being something entirely new.

When looking at the R27 it is easy to see that the nose remains practically the same from that of a year ago. The wider nose shape continues along with the full-length cascading wing. The V-keel also appears untouched, but the R27 unveiled at the launch is minus the nose flaps that appeared a few times last season. The overall design from this point back remains rather unchanged in appearance to the R26. However, the R27 does include some refinements to maximize efficiency of airflow.

The sidepods are taller overall. The radiator cooling inlets have been redesigned. Of course, one of the obvious changes and revolutionary ideas has been the incorporation of the rear-view mirrors with the sidepod flicks. Ferrari's 248 of last year employed rear-view mirrors placed further out on the sidepods. This gave the drivers a better view of the rear tires and how they were wearing. Renault took this design a step further. Since sidepod flicks have become a mainstay design feature, incorporating the mirrors into the design was logical. Another interesting design innovation also included the sidepod flicks. Instead of there being the sidepod flick and the rear-wheel flicks as two separate pieces of the bodywork, the Renault R27 brings the two components together, and thus, helps to direct airflow.

The R27 maintains the double-deck rear flicks as used last year, as well as, the chimney and T-wing arrangement. The airbox, above the driver's head has been redesigned with a larger mouth opening. Missing on the R27 for the first time in a few years are the shark-like gills or louvers that had been featured on previous Renaults to aid in cooling. The smaller V8 and the fact of the chimneys being retained could mean all the aid necessary to keep the R27 cool under the cowling. The R27 includes a redesign of the exhaust pipe chimneys from the R26. And given pre-season testing, Renault also looks to be experimenting with the controversial rear-wheel aero-shrouds.

At the rear of the car, not all that much has changed. The rear end of the cowling is again tightly wrapped with the dorsal fin style cowling being on display prominently in its new color scheme. During testing, the R27 has been seen with a double post rear-wing support setup, but no doubt will run with the single center post design. At last year's high speed events Renault's rear wing sported the single post design, relying on the endplates for extra support. Given the fact that the R27 was unveiled with the same style rear-wing and center-post arrangement, it is fair to say that the same wing design will appear throughout this season.

Of course the other keys to the R27's performance lay underneath the cowling and in areas out of sight. The same V8 that powered the team to the driver's and constructor's championships lies under the hood. The engine has proven itself to be powerful but also very reliable, suffering only two major breakdowns. Then, of course, the other component meant to harness that power and reliability is the seam-less gearbox.

For the past two years Renault has been at the top of the Formula One world. However, this year marks something new for Renault, and not just a new car. This will be the team's first year without the man that earned the team the driver's championship—Fernando Alonso. Have the tweaks and new designs done enough? Do Fisichella and Kovalainen have the talent and the machine to be champions; to help ING's investment payoff? It takes commitment to be successful in Formula One, especially financial. Over the 2007 season it will be seen whether Renault has the capital necessary to keep its place at the top.

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