RENAULT R28

   To rediscover the path to victory, lost in 2007 after two consecutive world titles, the Team Principal of the French Renault F1 team, Flavio Briatore, placed all his bets on bringing back two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso following the Spaniard’s split with Ron Dennis at McLaren. Upon his return, Alonso found virtually unchanged the group of engineers who had led him to his two titles in 2005 and 2006. The Technical Director was Bob Bell, responsible for the car’s overall technical direction and for coordinating the various departments to work in unison, assisted by James Allison (Deputy Technical Director), then a rising star and now an F1 legend, a pillar of Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s successes. Tim Densham served as Chief Designer, the man who literally put the car’s design “down on paper,” coordinating the technical office, aided by Deputy Chief Designer Martin Tolliday. The team veteran was Pat Symonds, strategic mastermind and one of F1’s most experienced engineers, already present during Ayrton Senna’s time at Toleman and during Michael Schumacher’s championship years at Benetton Formula. Tad Czapski remained Technology Director, as did Robin Tuluie as Head of R&D. Dino Toso (Head of Aerodynamics) was one of the main architects of Renault’s 2000s successes. Despite battling a serious illness, he continued overseeing the initial development of the new Renault R28. He left the team in June 2008 (replaced by Jarrod Murphy and David Wheater) shortly before his premature passing. The R28’s competitiveness in the second half of the season was his final great gift to the team.

 RENAULT R28, Nelson Piquet Jr.
 Istanbul, Turkish GP 2008

   No less important was the staff managing the R28 at the track: Alan Permane (Chief Race Engineer) was the man who spoke with the drivers and translated telemetry data into setup adjustments, while Remi Taffin (Engine Track Operations) acted as the direct link between the French engine department and the race team. Indeed, while the new Renault R28 was being built in Enstone, West Oxfordshire (England), the RS27 V8 was being optimized in Viry-Châtillon, France, to withstand competition from the more powerful V8 engines of Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Honda. Rob White (Engine Deputy Managing Director) and Axel Plasse (Head of Engine Design) sought to improve the French V8’s performance, limited to relatively modest power output (around 750–770 hp), by optimizing reliability and integration with the chassis.

RENAULT R28, Fernando Alonso
Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 2008

   The team’s difficult task was to correct, in a very short time, the flaws of the failed 2007 R27. Aerodynamically, the car represented the peak of an era, with regulations still allowing an almost uncontrolled proliferation of appendages, winglets, and flow diverters. The R28 was one of the main exponents of the “Shark Fin,” the upward extension of the engine cover almost reaching the rear wing, designed to stabilize airflow directed toward the rear wing during yaw (when the car corners). The front wing featured the inevitable “Bridge Wing,” the thin aerofoil profile arching over the nose to connect the two front wing flaps. Following Ferrari’s insight from the previous year, the R28 adopted static wheel covers (wheel shields), carbon discs that rotated with the wheel but remained aerodynamically fixed, preventing hot brake air and turbulence generated by tire rotation from “dirtying” the car’s lateral aerodynamics. The sidepods, more tapered than in 2007, were a triumph of chimneys and louvers, tasked with expelling heat from the Renault V8 without compromising aerodynamic efficiency. The R28’s true strength lay in its constant and intensive development of crucial components such as the bargeboards and the diffuser, redesigned several times according to Alonso’s feedback to tailor the car to his driving style.

RENAULT R28, Nelson Piquet Jr.
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP 2008

   Beneath the bodywork lay the mechanical and electronic systems, the car’s muscles and nervous system. With the introduction of the Standard ECU and the elimination of electronic driving aids (chiefly traction control), the car became much more nervous on corner exit, forcing the drivers, (alongside Alonso, Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr.), to adapt their driving style to avoid unwanted wheelspin. Paired with the Renault RS27 V8 was a seven-speed Renault gearbox equipped with the now-standard seamless shift system, allowing lightning-fast gear changes without interrupting torque delivery. The chassis was an ultra-light carbon-fiber monocoque with push-rod suspension on both axles. Although the famous Mass Damper (the tuned mass damper that made Renault unbeatable in 2005–2006) had been outlawed, the R28 used the Inerter (or J-Damper), a mechanical device that helped stabilize tire load by absorbing high-frequency vibrations, improving tire contact with the asphalt, especially over curbs. Despite a decent start to the season, with Alonso finishing fourth in the opening race in Melbourne, Australia, the next seven races were a true ordeal, with the R28 scoring only four more points (again thanks to Alonso). What made the 2008 Renault staff special was undoubtedly their ability to react. After the opening races, they realized the R28 was an “iron” (Alonso’s words), and under the guidance of Briatore and Symonds, the technical group responded with an accelerated development pace that enabled the car to gain nearly a second per lap between March and October. The car evolved from a midfield runner into a machine capable of beating Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes on pure race pace. The differing qualities of the two drivers were evident: Piquet scored 19 points to Alonso’s 61, and the Spaniard even returned Renault to the top step of the podium twice (Singapore and Japan).

RENAULRT R28, Nelson Piquet Jr.
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 2008

   In truth, the victory on the streets of Singapore was tainted by the so-called “crashgate.” After an unfortunate qualifying session, Alonso started only 15th, with little hope on the twisty Singapore street circuit. Before the start, Briatore and Symonds summoned rookie Piquet, proposing a plan to salvage the team’s season: deliberately crash his R28 at a specific point on the track (Turn 17), where no cranes were available for quick removal, thereby forcing race officials to deploy the Safety Car. On lap 12, Alonso pitted for fuel with what appeared to be a suicidal strategy. Shortly afterward, Piquet hit the wall at Turn 17, triggering the Safety Car. Under the regulations at the time, the pit lane remained closed, forcing drivers who had not yet refueled to lose many positions. At the restart, Alonso found himself leading and stayed there until the finish, giving Renault its first victory of the season. What many initially viewed as a stroke of strategic genius by Renault was later exposed by Piquet himself in 2009 after his dismissal. Following an FIA investigation, the consequences were a lifetime ban for Briatore (later reduced after appeals), a five-year ban for Symonds, and a suspended disqualification for the Renault team. Nevertheless, the R28 deserves recognition for having returned Renault to the front of the grid, delivering performances worthy of top teams such as Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes.