Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constructor | Renault | ||||||||||
Designer(s) | Pat Symonds (Executive Engineer) Bob Bell (Technical Director) James Allison (Deputy Technical Director) Tim Densham (Chief Designer) Martin Tolliday (Project Leader) Tad Czapski (Technology Director) Robin Tuluie (Head of R&D) Dino Toso (Head of Aerodynamics) Rob White (Engine Technical Director) | ||||||||||
Predecessor | R27 | ||||||||||
Successor | R29 | ||||||||||
Technical specifications | |||||||||||
Chassis | Carbon-fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, designed for maximum strength and stiffness with minimum weight | ||||||||||
Suspension (front) | Carbon-fibre double wishbone, with pushrod and rocker operated inboard torsion bar/damper units, Zero-keel design for front suspension mounting in order to optimise front end aerodynamic performance. | ||||||||||
Suspension (rear) | Carbon-fibre double wishbone with gearbox-mounted vertical torsion bars and horizontally mounted damper units mounted on the top of the gearbox casing. | ||||||||||
Engine | Renault RS27-2008 2400cc 90-degree V8, naturally aspirated, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, 19,000 RPM Limited | ||||||||||
Transmission | Renault Seven-speed semi-automatic titanium gearbox with one reverse gear. "Quickshift" system in operation to maximise speed of gearshifts. | ||||||||||
Power | >750 hp @ 19,000 rpm | ||||||||||
Fuel | Elf | ||||||||||
Tyres | Bridgestone Potenza | ||||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||||
Notable entrants | ING Renault F1 Team | ||||||||||
Notable drivers | 5. Fernando Alonso 6. Nelson Piquet Jr. | ||||||||||
Debut | 2008 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
First win | 2008 Singapore Grand Prix | ||||||||||
Last win | 2008 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||||||||
Last event | 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
|
The Renault R28 is a Formula One racing car, with which Renault F1 contested the 2008 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Bob Bell, James Allison, Tim Densham and Dino Toso with Pat Symonds overseeing the design and production of the car as Executive Director of Engineering and Rob White leading the engine design. The car was driven by Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr.
Similarly to Honda, Renault arrived at Valencia with their contender a week before its official launch, giving the first laps of the R28 to Fernando Alonso on January 21, 2008. [1] The car was officially launched on January 31, 2008 at Renault's communications headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt, on the banks of the Seine in south-west Paris. [2] Renault unveiled rookie Nelson Piquet Jr. as Alonso's team mate for the 2008 season, and confirmed Lucas di Grassi, [3] Romain Grosjean [4] and Sakon Yamamoto [5] as their official test drivers.
The car carries a similar livery and sponsorship to 2007: ING are still the title sponsor, but Pepe Jeans has now been added as a sponsor, along with returnee Spanish insurance firm Mutua Madrileña. Mutua Madrileña had been a sponsor of the McLaren-Mercedes team in 2007, but chose to follow Alonso when he left McLaren after only one year due to Alonso's personal sponsors. [6]
Renault made strong progress throughout the early 2008 testing schedule, with Alonso consistently at the top end of the timesheets. The Spaniard has commented that the team are "able to keep improving our understanding of the Bridgestone tyres, and also the new way of setting up the car with no traction control or engine braking". [7] The team made some improvements at a later test in Jerez, despite difficult windy weather conditions. [8]
On April 9, 2009, during Renault's promotional tour in Dubai, Mohammed Ben Sulayem was invited to test drive the Renault R28 at the Dubai Autodrome. 100 meters after the start, he lost control of his car and crashed into the pit wall. The car was destroyed, but Ben Sulayem survived uninjured. [10]
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)
Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Points | WCC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | ING Renault F1 | Renault V8 | B | AUS | MAL | BHR | ESP | TUR | MON | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | EUR | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | CHN | BRA | 80 | 4th | |
Fernando Alonso | 4 | 8 | 10 | Ret | 6 | 10 | Ret | 8 | 6 | 11 | 4 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||||||
Nelson Piquet Jr. | Ret | 11 | Ret | Ret | 15 | Ret | Ret | 7 | Ret | 2 | 6 | 11 | Ret | 10 | Ret | 4 | 8 | Ret |
{{cite news}}
: External link in |publisher=
(help)Renault, a French automobile manufacturer, has been associated with Formula One as both team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1977. In 1977, the company entered Formula One as a constructor, introducing the turbo engine to Formula One with its EF1 engine. In 1983, Renault began supplying engines to other teams. Although the Renault team had won races, it withdrew at the end of 1985. Renault engines continued to be raced until 1986.
Nelson Angelo Tamsma Piquet Souto Maior, also known as Nelson Piquet Junior or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian stock car racing driver and former Formula One and Formula E driver where he was champion in the 2014–15 season. He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 33 Toyota Corolla E210 for Motul TMG Racing.
Mohamed Fairuz bin Mohamed Fauzy is a Malaysian professional race car driver.
The 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 61st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, which began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen events. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the final race of the season, making Räikkönen the third Finnish driver to take the title. An appeal by McLaren regarding the legality of some cars in the final race could have altered the championship standings, but on 16 November, the appeal was rejected by the International Court of Appeal, confirming the championship results. Räikkönen entered the final race in third position in the drivers' standings, but emerged as champion after the chequered flag, a feat first accomplished by Giuseppe Farina in 1950.
Sakon Yamamoto is a Japanese racing driver turned politician. He competed in 21 Formula One Grands Prix during the 2006, 2007 and 2010 seasons.
The 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 62nd season of Formula One motor racing, recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – the governing body of motorsport – as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship was contested over eighteen races commencing in Australia on 16 March and ending in Brazil on 2 November. The 2008 season saw the debut of the Singapore Grand Prix, which was held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Marina Bay, Singapore and was the first Formula One race held at night. The European Grand Prix moved to a new venue at the Valencia Street Circuit, in Valencia, Spain.
The 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 63rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 60th Formula One World Championship which was contested over 17 events commencing with the Australian Grand Prix on 29 March and ending with the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 1 November.
Mutua Madrileña, S.A. also known as La Mutua, is by its joint venture with Vida Caixa, the largest Spanish insurance company as both Vida Caixa and Mutua Madrileña occupy the first and third position (respectively) of the Spanish Insurance Company Ranking in 2020 by GWP. Founded in 1930, it provides life, automobile, health, and accident insurance, as well as pension and investment funds. It has an international footprint in Colombia and Chile since 2019 with the acquisition of 45% of Seguros del Estado (Colombia) and the acquisition and control of 60% of BCI Seguros (Chile), which are the second and first biggest companies in Colombia and Chile respectively.
Formula One sponsorship liveries have been used since the 1968 season, replacing national colours. Major sponsors such as BP, Shell, and Firestone had pulled out of the sport ahead of the season, prompting the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to allow unrestricted sponsorship. Team Gunston became the first Formula One team to implement sponsorship brands as a livery on their Brabham car, which privately entered for John Love in orange, brown and gold colours of Gunston cigarettes in the first race of the 1968 season, the 1968 South African Grand Prix, on 1 January 1968. In the next race, the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix, Team Lotus became the first works team to follow this example, with Graham Hill's Lotus 49B entered in the red, gold and white colors of Imperial Tobacco's Gold Leaf brand. With rising costs in Formula One, sponsors becoming more important and thus liveries reflected the teams' sponsors.
Romain David Jeremie Grosjean is a Swiss-French professional racing driver, competing under the French flag in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 28 Honda for Andretti Autosport. Grosjean had previously spent nine full-time seasons in Formula One for a variety of teams, picking up 10 podiums, all with Lotus.
Lotus F1 Team was a British Formula One racing team. The team competed under the Lotus name from 2012 until 2015, following the renaming of the former Renault team based at Enstone in Oxfordshire. The Lotus F1 Team was majority owned by Genii Capital. Lotus F1 was named after its branding partner Group Lotus. The team achieved a race victory and fourth position in the Formula One Constructors' World Championship in their first season under the Lotus title. The team was sold back to Renault on 18 December 2015. The Lotus F1 Team name was officially dropped on 3 February 2016, as Renault announced that the team would compete as Renault Sport Formula One Team.
The 2008 GP2 Series season was the forty-second season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also fourth season under the GP2 Series moniker. It began on 26 April at Montmeló, Spain and it finished on 14 September at Monza, Italy. This is the first season using a new car design to be used during the following 3 seasons. The series was won by Giorgio Pantano.
The Red Bull RB4 is a Formula One racing car with which the Red Bull Racing team competed in the 2008 Formula One season.
The 2009 GP2 Series season was the forty-third season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also fifth season under the GP2 Series moniker. The season consisted of twenty races at ten rounds, beginning on 9 May at the Circuit de Catalunya and finishing on 20 September at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. The Algarve circuit hosted its first GP2 weekend, and was the only new circuit on the calendar. The Nürburgring also returned as part of its rotation with Hockenheim as the home of the German Grand Prix.
The Renault R29 is a Formula One racing car designed by the Renault F1 Team, with which they contested the 2009 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Bob Bell, James Allison, Tim Densham and Dirk de Beer with Pat Symonds overseeing the design and production of the car as Executive Director of Engineering and Rob White leading the engine design. The car was driven by Fernando Alonso, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Romain Grosjean.
The 2009 Singapore Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on 27 September 2009. The 61-lap race was the fourteenth round of the 2009 Formula One season. It was the second Singapore Grand Prix to be part of a Formula One Championship and the tenth Singapore Grand Prix overall. It was also the second Formula One race to be held at night. The race was won by McLaren-Mercedes driver and reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Toyota's Timo Glock finished second and 2008 race winner Fernando Alonso took third position, making this the only race of the season with neither a Brawn nor a Red Bull driver on the podium. This was also the last race of 2009 for Glock, as he was injured during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix and was replaced by test driver Kamui Kobayashi. Heikki Kovalainen scored his last World Championship points at this race, as did second-placed Glock.
The Renault Formula One crash controversy, dubbed Crashgate by some in the media, was a sporting scandal caused when Renault F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to give a sporting advantage to his Renault teammate, Fernando Alonso.
Kevin Jan Magnussen is a Danish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Haas F1 Team.
The 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the eighteenth and penultimate round of the 2011 Formula One season. It was held on 13 November 2011 at the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island, a man-made island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It was the third running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As is customary with the race, it was the only twilight Grand Prix of the 2011 Formula One season, with a start time of 17:00 local time.
The Lotus E22 is a Formula One racing car designed by Lotus to compete in the 2014 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Nick Chester, Chris Cooney, Martin Tolliday and Nicolas Hennel with Renault supplying the team's powertrain. It was driven by Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, who replaced Kimi Räikkönen after Räikkönen left the team to rejoin Ferrari. The E22 was designed to use Renault's new 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engine, the Energy F1-2014. This was the last car of the Enstone-based team which used Renault engines until Renault RS16, before a new one-year deal with fellow Daimler brand Mercedes.