Renault R28
 Nelson Piquet Jr. testing the R28 at Silverstone Circuit | |||||||||||
| 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 Alonso6.  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.
Launch
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]
2008 season
Testing
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]
Later uses
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]
Complete Formula One results
(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 |
Notes and references
- ^ "R28 debuts in Valencia". GPUpdate.net. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "Renault presents R28". GPUpdate.net. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "Di Grassi named third driver at Renault". Yahoo Sport. 2008-02-08. Archived from the original on 2019-08-21. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
- ^ "Romain Grosjean looks forward". Yahoo Sport. 2008-01-31. Archived from the original on 2019-08-21. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
- ^ "Renault signs Yamamoto as test driver". formula1.com. 2008-02-04. Archived from the original on 2008-02-06. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
- ^ "Spanish sponsor follows Alonso to Renault". GPUpdate.net. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "Alonso happier with each passing day". GPUpdate.net. 4 February 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "Alonso back in the saddle for Renault". GPUpdate.net. 13 February 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ Formula One official website (2008-04-26). "Renault R28 - engine cover shark fin". http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2008/790/526.html.
{{cite news}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ "Grapevine: Renault Roadshow ends up in a crash". Autosport.com. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
