In China, with the season over, we can look at one supposedly controversial element on the R25, namely its 'dolphin nose' device, placed at the front base of the cockpit ahead of the splitter. As well as lengthening the splitter this acts as ballast – fixed to the car by screws as required by the...
In China we take a closer look at changes first seen in Brazil. The rear bodywork is moulded even more closely around the mechanical parts inside (magnified section), allowing the rear wing to function even more efficiently. The exhaust area is now very narrow (red arrow), giving more room for air...
During practice in Japan Renault mounted laser sensors under the front suspension's lower-wishbone V-mounting to measure ride-height variation throughout the lap. This allowed them to measure how nervous the car was with different set-ups. The more constant the ride height (signifying less pitching...
Revised endplates as part of the new aero package for Brazil. Completely flat, they have the lost the vertical slit seen throughout the season. The simple wing profile does without a gurney flap. The slight downforce reduction is offset by increased overall aerodynamic efficiency at the rear, thanks...
Successful car's secrets often come out late in the season. The R25 is believed to house a simple, but clever one in its nose, with ballast in its foremost section, in a similar fashion to that introduced by Ferrari at Monaco. In the R25 the amount of ballast can be varied according to need and its...
For Belgium, the Renault has lost the additional upper-wing profiles used in Monza to keep drag low. More downforce is required at Spa that at the Italian circuit, hence a return to a more traditional flap design. Note the upper edge of the endplates, which is lower than before, with a far more...
In Turkey, proof of how tiny changes can bring big gains. The Renault sports a revised version of the extra front-wing profile introduced at Imola. It now bends upwards towards the centre of the car. The endplate has also evolved at its fronter-most edge. A sharper corner (compare old and new...
A revised design for the tight, twisting Hungaroring, where downforce levels are higher than anywhere bar Monaco. A saw-tooth profile to the Gurney flap (red arrow) adds downforce, but also helps in detaching the airflow as it leaves the exit profile of the flap. This helps ease the inevitable...
In Germany, this additional fin, introduced a few races back, takes on a vertical edge at its rearmost point. This helps to manage even more accurately the way airflow is directed to the rear of the car, in particular over the side section of the diffuser. The 2005 rules have dramatically reduced...
In Magny-Cours most changes are aerodynamic, as the track is so flat that teams are able to run very low ride heights and thus maximise aero efficiency. The French Grand Prix is therefore an excellent place to show off aero kit evolution. Renault showed an interesting new development in the shape of...
Small changes can bring big performance gains, hence this new design in Montreal. It may not look much different, but is in fact all new. The flap has been reduced in cross section and height, while the main profile is higher than before. Revisions to the endplates highlight the changes – their...
Already seen on other cars, at the Nurburgring Renault introduced a small wing on top of the rear light. Roughly 15 cm wide, it is connected to the light cover and crushable structure by means of a tiny pillar. This device helps with the extraction of air from the bottom of the car by means of a...
Introduced at Monaco, but retained for Europe due to their positive effect on the car's front aero balance, these endplates feature a lower channel (red arrow), increasing the overall width of the wing. The channel has a vent hole at the rear allowing air to pass through (blue arrow), reducing...
A completely revised Renault aero package for Monaco. The sidepod winglets have been doubled up, with an extra lower element (bottom red arrow). A small flap (top red arrow) has also been added to the rear of the upper winglet, connected by a new vertical endplate. All this provides vital additional...
A small but interesting change for Barcelona -side 'ears', right over the push rod links. These have a similar function to the small winglets already seen on the Toyota TF105, the work of ex-Renault employee Mike Gascoyne. These 'ears' provide a small increase in frontal downforce and also provide...
An interesting change for Imola. Two large horizontal flaps have been placed over the main wing profiles, with the inner edge connected by a thin pillar and the outer edge joined to revised endplates. This provides a huge amount of additional downforce, but adds surprisingly little drag - important...
A very complex design for Bahrain. Three elements are kept together by two horizontal edges and are separated from eachother by vertical gills that split the airflow into three portions, all directed outwards to reduce the turbulence generated by the front wheels and to increase the airflow, and...
The sidepods are very low in their rearmost section, with clearly noticeable, full-width, gill-like air vents on top. These provide better engine cooling, fundamental for engine reliability, and allow the sidepods to be narrower at the rear. The big cooling chimneys are similar to those seen on last...
A very narrow nose cone with a completely revised front wing. Its more sinuous side sections (1) are higher, as per 2005 regulations, while the centre (2) sports a deep, spoon profile. The endplates have been simplified, but keep a sculpted front edge. The lower-front suspension wishbone pick-up...
