116 replies to this topic

[Timstr11]

Isn't today the day Renault will debut their 2004 contender in Barcelona?
Anyone with news and pics?

I Just love the launch season!

[Estwald]

This from http://www.renaultf1...ws/p_14763.html

13 JAN 2004 - The R24 is ready!
The build of the first R24 chassis was completed yesterday, marking the end of the first stage of the 2004 programme. Testing will begin soon.

Enstone was all smiles yesterday. At the end of the afternoon, the mechanics completed the assembly of chassis R24-01. For the Renault F1 Team, which has been working on the project since the end of 2002, it marks an important first step. The RS24 V10 was also fired up, without any problems.

"We completed the build of R24-01 late yesterday afternoon, and fired up the engine as well,” confirmed Technical Director Bob Bell. “No problems were reported, and we are very pleased with the results. The 'birth' went very smoothly, and the process was a credit to everybody at Enstone and Viry. This is only the beginning though. The next stage will be to get the car to Barcelona, and start confirming its performance potential on the track." The R24 is due to run for the first time next week, 20 January, in the hands of Jarno Trulli, before handing over to Fernando Alonso later in the week.

Tomorrow, assembly of chassis 02 will begin at Enstone.


So it does look like it will make its track debut tomorrow(or later today depending on where you are).

Looking foward to seeing it

[Timstr11]

RENAULT R24

http://f1.racing-liv...3/diapo_174.jpg

[Timstr11]

Another shot.

http://f1.racing-liv...3/diapo_176.jpg

[A3]

Wow, look at the extension on the engine cover !

And the wing end plates of the rearwing, they cut a piece off.

The fuel cap doesn't shut properly.

[Double Apex]

Interesting rear wing....very ugly though!

[karlth]

Interesting and distinct car shape. Who knows, this season we might even be able to tell the cars apart from a distance.

[Peter Perfect]

If you ignore the rearwing endplates it's a beauty

[Timstr11]

The aerodynamics look very fancy though, very detailed. Very, very low in the back.
Very curved sidepods, small inlets. I like the gills on top of the engine cover.

[A3]

Was Renault still planning to use the OPT system?

[wati]

Kick arse! By far the best looking 2004 car. I love it.

Wattie

[Double Apex]

I think it was deemed illegal a while ago.

[logic]

Sidepods look small, but otherwise the car looks very fat Looks different. Could be quick.

[Double Apex]

To be precise:

Quote

While the gains are said to be considerable, no race debut for the set up was planned this year and recently the FIA have indicated to Michelin and Renault the set up would not be accepted in Formula One as the rules currently stand, closing a potential advantage for the two companies.

Edit: somehow I can't get the link to work Anyway, it's from Scarbs' article on Renault innovations in F1 from the special Renault issue last december.

[A3]

Ok, thanks !

[roadie]

wow it certainly looks complicated at the rear there

by looking at some of the photos on f1-live you can see that it too has "gills" a la f2003ga, although they are located on top of the engine cover, not to the side. photo here

the front wing is more like the williams in profile than last season's renault- it is much flatter, photo here

the engine cover is even larger than the regulations state. it seems to have a little hump, where as other teams keep the trailing edge straight. photo here

the sidepods are the most coke bottle like that i have seen yet. they make all other teams seem conservative! photo here

anyway it looks like the car may have had a problem, smoke here?

//edit the rear wing endplates are certainly the most adventerous of all the cars so far. looks like they are definitly trying to solve the vortice issues back there.

[f1rules]

The whole in the airbox seems pretty big, i think the engine needs a lot of cooling, but otherwise the car looks great,

[Tomecek]

Quote

Originally posted by Double Apex
I think it was deemed illegal a while ago.

No, it was not. Why shoult it be? OPT system was supposed to be used this season by Renault, according to Craig Scarborough, but no available info yet. Maybe it doesn't work?

[Tomecek]

Quote

Originally posted by Double Apex
To be precise:



Edit: somehow I can't get the link to work Anyway, it's from Scarbs' article on Renault innovations in F1 from the special Renault issue last december.

Good article is here:
http://www.atlasf1.c...carborough.html

[f1rules]

If you look at this picture you can see the small "wing" don't now what it is called, under the rear wing, and how it is formed. There are many good pictures at f1-live.com
http://f1.racing-liv...3/diapo_180.jpg

[Tomecek]

Quote

While the gains are said to be considerable, no race debut for the set up was planned this year and recently the FIA have indicated to Michelin and Renault the set up would not be accepted in Formula One as the rules currently stand, closing a potential advantage for the two companies.

It dosn't sound good

[Double Apex]

Tomecek, check my second post. According to Scarbs the FIA has said the will not accept it.

Posting the link doesn't seem to work for me, so use the search to find the article I quoted from.

Edit: I see you got it.

Indeed it's a bit of a bummer to see yet another innovation being banned prematurely.

[A3]

Quote

Originally posted by f1rules
The whole in the airbox seems pretty big, i think the engine needs a lot of cooling, but otherwise the car looks great,

The engine is cooled via the sidepods, the airbox gathers the air for combustion.

[Frogman]

Quote

Originally posted by f1rulesThe whole in the airbox seems pretty big, i think the engine needs a lot of cooling , but otherwise the car looks great,

I'm not so sure, the front-openings in the side pods seem rather small.

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to how the new engine is going to affect the balance of the car?
Last years Renault chassis was excellent, IMO mainly due to the low centre of gravity of the wide-angle engine.

[f1rules]

Quote

Originally posted by A3


The engine is cooled via the sidepods, the airbox gathers the air for combustion.

ups, didn't know

[Williams]

Nice work on those sidepods, but aesthetically speaking, the winglets ruin it. And new regs about the bigger rear wing side panels is a definite mistake. The cars are really beginning to look more and more like the speeding billboards that they are. Pity.

But the Renault otherwise looks lean and mean and I wish Alonso and Trulli all the luck in the world this season.

[A3]

The sidepods are really really beautiful. Get rid of those ugly chimneys !

http://f1.racing-liv...3/diapo_189.jpg

[Enkei]

I am surprised
Looks like a lot of teams have gone the revolutionary way, instead of evolutionary. This new Renault..hmm, think I'll need some time to get used to it :

Looks like a teapot...

[roadie]

because of the very large engine cover with the hump i here by name the r24 "humpback"

[Double Apex]

Quote

Originally posted by Enkei

Looks like a teapot...

I largely agree with you, to me the car looks very much out of proportion. The sidepots are beautiful and the rear is nice as well but the engine cover and the rear wing spoil it all. Just imagine what this car would have looked like without the new rules...

[Breadmaster]

love those sidepods!

innovation....welcome back!

[HSJ]

Quote

Originally posted by Timstr11
The aerodynamics look very fancy though, very detailed. Very, very low in the back.
Very curved sidepods, small inlets. I like the gills on top of the engine cover.

Exactly. I love the sidepods. I'd add that although it is not as spectacular, the nose has become very sleek also. I must say that by the looks of it the R24 could be the best chassis in 2004 (no wonder Renault have been bullish about what they've seen in the windtunnel), although we need to see the F2004 first. Still, I'm afraid kalrth's comment about the MP4-19 starting to look dated just became a bit closer to the truth. If the R24 goes as well as it looks... Scary. Now it is up to the engine really.

[Alexandros]

[HSJ]

IMO Renault have taken the concept of the nose-barge boards-sidepods that was seen on the F2003 a step (or two) further. When you look at the F2003 you see the nose and the sidepods still as sort of separate entities, mainly because the nose is boxy (relatively speaking, comparing to the R24, or the Mac and the Williams). But on the R24 the nose, barge boards, and the sidepods are like one flowing entity to direct airflow very efficiently. By the looks of it this is the most elegant solution seen yet, at least regarding air flow from the nose to towards the rear, except possibly the underbody where the FW26 is probably better. Hard to say whether the R24 has more front downforce than the FW26 or the MP4-19 though, I'm just talking about what effect there is behind the nose (excluding the underbody, I'm talking about the sidepods really).

[Sir Frank]

I hope all those winglets in front of the rear wheels and on the sidepods get banned and the chimneies as well. The hump on the enginecover is butt ugly. The current cars are beginning to look like IRL cars and remind me of the wacky racers (in the cartoon).

The sidepods and the nose could make for a beautiful car..

[roadie]

Quote

I hope all those winglets in front of the rear wheels and on the sidepods get banned and the chimneies as well. The hump on the enginecover is butt ugly. The current cars are beginning to look like IRL cars and remind me of the wacky racers (in the cartoon).

i agree that cars such as this and the williams are not the best looking, but as they say form follows function. however the dominant f2002 really was a beautiful car, it had a sleekness that none of this seasons cars so far can match. of course the new regulations play a part here too, and if they did not exist then the cars would be much better to look at.

[Daniel Lester]

With the exception of Williams and McLaren the other new cars look rather simple by comparison...even the McLaren looks like a paper plane compared to the Renault, whether it works or not is another thing altogether. But the top teams are certainly being a little more creative.

[Renault4ever]

The new Renault looks very very streamlined. I wouldn't mind betting that is has a very low drag coeficient. Combine this with the revability of a 72 degree V10 and it should be a very fast machine down the straights. And Renault's close relationship with Michelin should ensure it's also quick on the twisty bits.

Will we see a major upset this year ???

[Enkei]

Quote

Originally posted by Renault4ever
The new Renault looks very very streamlined. I wouldn't mind betting that is has a very drag coeficient. Combine this with the revability of a 72 degree V10 and it should be a very fast machine down the straights. And Renault's close relationship with Michelin should ensure it's also quick on the twisty bits.

Will we see a major upset this year ???

I doubt it. They're not gonna start with their new engine, so they will be way down on power for the first races.

[Renault4ever]

Quote

Originally posted by Enkei

They're not gonna start with their new engine......

Where did you hear this?

[Enkei]

Quote

Originally posted by Renault4ever


Where did you hear this?

I read somewhere that their 2004 engine wouldn't be ready in time and that they had to use 'old' engines for at least the first couple of races of the season.

[Timstr11]

Quote

Originally posted by Enkei
I read somewhere that their 2004 engine wouldn't be ready in time and that they had to use 'old' engines for at least the first couple of races of the season.

This is their new engine for 2004. The first time they are track testing it. They had to wait for the new chassis to test it because the 72 degree engine would not fit in their 2003 chassis.

[Enkei]

Quote

Originally posted by Timstr11


This is their new engine for 2004. The first time they are track testing it. They had to wait for the new chassis to test it because the 72 degree engine would not fit in their 2003 chassis.

Ah ok
Then they must have been testing with the old engine untill now, sorry...my bad

[davegp3]

Quote

Originally posted by Frogman

I'm not so sure, the front-openings in the side pods seem rather small.

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to how the new engine is going to affect the balance of the car?
Last years Renault chassis was excellent, IMO mainly due to the low centre of gravity of the wide-angle engine.

I am pretty curious because i think the new 72° engine has higher CoG, so maybe the RS24 wont have such great stability through corners as RS23 has. But it will be probably more powerfull and reliable.

[Timstr11]

And they will need a lot of mileage to iron out problems.

They already had an engine blow-up this morning!!!!http://f1.racing-liv...4/diapo_102.jpg

[Enkei]

Quote

Originally posted by Timstr11
And they will need a lot of mileage to iron out problems.

They already had an engine blow-up this morning!!!!http://f1.racing-liv...4/diapo_102.jpg

Are you sure that's not the go-gadget-smokescreen-trick?

[f1rules]

No Enkei you are wright. This is a new engine, but not the one they plan to use all year. They only build this 72 degree engine because they didn.t have the knowledge or time to make a reliable 90 degree in time. Therefore as a substitute they made at 72 degree motor. I read this in an interview with Lauda; His opimion was that renault was going be behind at the beginning of the year but catch up as soon as they get their new engine

[FordFan]

They recently pilfered a Cosworth man for their engine department. I would think it would be midseason at least before they have a raceable 90 degree. Even then, they'll have to make allowances for fitting it in the chassis.

[Enkei]

What about the rearwing-endplates?
Have they found a loophole in the new regulations? They don't seem as high as the other car's rearwing-endplates :

Edit: Here's a picture of it, http://www.f1total.c...barc02//034.jpg . I sure hope that that upper element is not flexible like Ferrari's early 2002 rearwing.

[BuzzingHornet]

Personally I think the Renault looks overly fussy and not that quick... its got lots of little tweaks and stuff sticking out, compare that with the silky sleek (and quick) R23...

I'm not cussing it out or anything but it reminds me of that famous **** box the 1995 McLaren