Lotus Renault GP unveiled their much-discussed 2011 challenger, the R31, in the pit lane of Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit on 31st Jan'11.
Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov revealed the R31, with reserves Romain Grosjean, Bruno Senna, Jan Charouz and Fairuz Fauzy.
Technical specifications
| Chassis | Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, with engine incorporated as a fully-stressed member |
| Suspension (front) | Carbon fibre double wishbone, operating inboard torsion bar and damper units via a pushrod system |
| Suspension (rear) | As front except via a pullrod system |
| Engine | Renault RS27-2011 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90° V8, limited to 18,000 RPM with KERS naturally aspirated mid-mounted |
| Transmission | Seven-speed semi-automatic titanium gearbox with reverse gear "Quickshift" system |
| Weight | 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver) |
| Fuel | Total |
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero |
| OZ Wheels (front and rear): 13" |
Links
Renault R31 – Launch Details and Analysis (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"What was formerly the Renault F1 Team and now Lotus Renault GP (I’ll use the term LRGP for this article) have unveiled their new car the R31. It seems some critical details are not fitted to the car for its unveiling, indeed the car was shown only briefly to the press before it was covered back up and returned to the garage. Despite the mystery surrounding the cars exhaust exit location, its clear this is a very new design for the team. In creating this the team were given a mandate to take risks, which probably explains the very different front and rear end treatments."Renault R31 Front Exit Exhausts (FEE) – Explained (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"Renault have found a new solution to the blown diffuser concept. In fact they’ve turned it on its head. With an exhaust that exits at the front of the sidepods.Last years teams reintroduced the blown diffuser concept, either by blowing exhaust gasses over the top of the diffuser, or by creating an opening into the diffuser to blow inside the diffuser. Both solutions created more downforce. With the latter solution now banned, it seemed the less effective over-blown solutions are all that’s left to race."
Renault R31 launch pictures
Photos © Renault/LAT
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