Renault held an open day for fans earlier this week. Their current and former F1 cars were on display, including Fernando Alonso’s championship-winning car from 2005 and the Renault-powered Benetton Michael Schumacher won the 1995 title in.
Pete Johnston went along and very kindly allowed me to use some of his pictures from the day:
Interesting that Pete mentioned the team were packing up to go to Valencia in the hope that they will be able to race next weekend despite their penalty. TommyB on Twitter also mentioned their trucks had been spotted on the way to Spain. The hearing is on Monday.
Read more: Renault banned from European Grand Prix following Alonso’s wheel loss
dsd_
15th August 2009, 19:11
Very nice pictures! :)
Kayleigh
15th August 2009, 19:38
oo I’m in one of the pictures!! hehe
It was a great day – really good day with some great access in the race bays with plenty to see. Great presentations and talks too.
There was a guy who used to be test team truckie and is now on their demo team said they will be racing at Valencia and the race trucks are packed ready to go – so they are very confident!
Saw one of the trucks on the move on Thursday as it happened.
A few more photos if anyone is interested:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29912007@N05/sets/72157621898888047/
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
16th August 2009, 0:24
Nice one! Which one are you then?
Mouse_Nightshirt
15th August 2009, 20:25
Nice pics of the old card, great to see these things close up!
I sometimes wonder what was the reason that some of the cars from the 70s and 80s (eg, the 1982 Renault) didn’t have a front wing. Any ideas?
F1Yankee
15th August 2009, 23:01
they shoud ban front wings and barge boards.
Stealthman
16th August 2009, 0:10
Exactly. That’s always confused me.
HounslowBusGarage
16th August 2009, 10:15
These were the famous (or infamous) ground effect cars which were so limpet-like in their adhesion to the track, they did not need the additional drag of a front wing.
This is a great pic of the RE30B because if you look carefully underneath the car, you can just see begining of the side skirts.
Personally I think this generation of F1 cars without front wings were absolutely beautiful – see the Brabham BT50 for evidence.
Mouse_Nightshirt
16th August 2009, 12:43
Argh! *slaps forehead*
Ground effect, of course! Forgot that was this era.
Austin
15th August 2009, 20:34
Renault’s trucks have been reported to be there since last week. LINK
Obviously if the ban is overturned they will not have time to get their equipment there for first practice. So don’t count your chicken’s just yet, they are just being prepared for the hope that the appeal rules in their favour.
Oh and yes the pictures are nice too :)
SonyJunkie
15th August 2009, 20:39
I went to the Renault factory last October thanks to a trip organised by Bridgestone. I’ve got a few cool pics that I’ll upload to my blog and post a link back here, saves loads of links to Photobucket!! :D
I also got Renault and Bridgestone goody bags!!!!
p.s. Keith I hope that’s OK.
SonyJunkie
15th August 2009, 21:36
OK, Here you go!!
http://sonyjunkie.wordpress.com/2009/08/15/renault-f1-factory-tour/
Brawn
15th August 2009, 20:43
I wish they would go back to that blue and yellow paint job, it was soo nice and unique.
Wesley
15th August 2009, 22:41
The blue and yellow livery is beautiful.I didn’t like it at first but now I miss it.They went from one of the best liveries to the absolute worst!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
16th August 2009, 0:26
I never liked the Mild Seven blue on the Renault than much – I’d like to see them in a more yellos-focused livery like they used in the eighties.
Of course their 2007/8 ING liveries are a total mess – the orange and white look wrong. Won’t be there next year though.
Kherubim
16th August 2009, 6:24
Did the Spanish fans have another name for the Mild Seven blue colour scheme? It bears a striking resemblance to Asturias (Alonso’s home region) colours…
RFB
16th August 2009, 15:05
If only they could race with the “30 years” livery they did 2 years ago…
Ned Flanders
15th August 2009, 21:07
Everyone seems to hate the 2009 Renault livery, but I think it’s OK, even if the blue and yellow they used to use was even better. I think the reason people don’t like the current livery is because the car is so ugly. It looks much better applied to the R28 in the pictures
Bartholomew
15th August 2009, 21:53
Good pictures ! specially interesting to see the car with
the bodywork off – never would have thought that the radiators – ventilator looked like that
cheers
manatcna
16th August 2009, 1:28
Good pictures, but there’s only one factory visit on my wish list; and it’s not Renault :)
sato113
16th August 2009, 2:12
@flanders- yeah but…
http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/6582/mcrenaultfu3.jpg
and
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/01/Ronald-McDonald-Renault-F1.jpg
Wesley
16th August 2009, 17:37
That’s what the pit crew should wear.
sato113
16th August 2009, 19:28
yeah and they can give the driver a happy meal in the ‘drive-thru’
The sri lankan
16th August 2009, 2:28
where were the Lotus-Renault F1 cars as well as the Williams Renault ones?
Leaf
16th August 2009, 3:35
In the Lotus and Williams factory museums of course.
Brendan
16th August 2009, 9:45
Or at Renault museums in France (maybe Viry-Chatillon?)
Leaf
16th August 2009, 3:32
Keith,
Did you see the RS01 and RE20/25? The original Renault tea pots? My God! I remember seeing these cars race in Canada 79/81 & 80/81. The sound compared to the other cars was unbelievable! Looking back in old issues of Autocourse some of the articles topics has to do with “does the driver matter anymore”. This was due to the fact that the feeling was that the technology had progressed so far that perhaps the driver didn’t matter. Aren’t we saying that these days too? unbelievable! Of course the driver will always matter. And…(even though they are French), Renault really has been on that cutting edge of technology over the years! Nice article.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
16th August 2009, 9:56
Hi Leaf – it was Pete who went there, they’re his pictures!
mp4-19b
16th August 2009, 4:26
nice collection!! those 80’s renault are absolutely beautiful, especially the 1982 renault. Prost should have been champion that year, he won 2 races more than rosberg, but… curiously, i would like to know, why is there a mclaren logo on its nose.
5150
16th August 2009, 15:39
That’s not a Mclaren logo. Mclaren’s logo was way different in the 80’s. I believe it’s just a mark, so that spectators or viewers at home could distinct the two Renaults from affar. I remember that Arnoux’s nose had the same mark just in blue color. Numbers were also colored differently. I belive ferrari had simillar feature in the late 80’s untill Shumacher arrived. They had yellow marks on both front and rear wings painted on one of their cars.
5150
16th August 2009, 15:44
I believe it was this one
http://www.bionicmedia.co.uk/uploads/e369ef08-1dee-4e4f-9b85-cfa8f8fc5173.jpg
Leaf
16th August 2009, 16:47
correct you are 5150
Ned Flanders
16th August 2009, 20:39
I think Benetton/ Renault have used Red nose tips to distinguish each driver for years, including this season
Tim
17th August 2009, 11:36
Not quite that simple. Prost, Niki Lauda, Didier Pironi, John Watson and Rene Arnoux each won two races in ’82, compared with Rosberg’s one. Prost’s Renault was fast but fragile, Lauda, Watson and Arnoux were all too inconsistent and/or unlucky. Pironi was seriously injured in a practice crash at the German GP and missed the last few races.
Kherubim
16th August 2009, 6:25
Did they show the cars from the Toleman and Benetton eras when they didn’t have Renault as their engine manufacturer?
Jeroen
16th August 2009, 13:47
No Lotus-Renault? The black and gold 1,wich Senna drove?
I kinda think that’s of the most beautiful cars ever made.
Lee
16th August 2009, 14:45
Isn’t that the 09 livery on the R28? Actually looks quite nice..
james_mc
16th August 2009, 15:41
You know, I think it is. The ’08 livery had more dark blue in it if I remember correctly. The basic problem is that the ING logo requires too much white space
mp4-19b
16th August 2009, 15:00
This Summer break is killing me :( Four weeks without formula one is torture.
Ned Flanders
16th August 2009, 17:39
Don’t worry, only 5 days till first practice in Spain! I don’t know how I survive 6 months without a single race during the winter
Ronman
16th August 2009, 17:18
funny how they have piquet Junior’s helmet, i thought he would of packed all his stuff up…
sato113
16th August 2009, 19:30
i wonder why alonso changed his main helmet colour this season from light blue to red? thought he’d remain faithful to the colours of his home town.
bwells
16th August 2009, 19:37
Hey gang… great pictures as always… I don’t know about you all… but I miss Fernando’s blue helmet..
It was always so easy to see…. so many times this year when I see the R29 you have to really look to see if it’s Fernando or Nelson… let’s hope that Romain has a totally different lid… :)
WidowFactory
18th August 2009, 11:12
Spot the difference ;)
https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/renaultopenday-14.jpg
https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/mclarentechnologycentre-44.jpg