Why new Renault 3.5 could be an F1 star-maker

The 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 car made its public debut at a packed Silverstone last Sunday with GP2 Series points leader Romain Grosjean at the wheel. Details of the Dallara-built car's innovative features made headlines when they were announced at Monaco in May, key among these was the introduction of a Formula 1-style Drag Reduction System and the removal of the car's battery - a first for a production single-seater.

The battery is replaced by an advanced 'SuperCaps' electronic control unit, which has been developed by Nîmes-based XAP Electronique. An anti-engine stall strategy will be incorporated into the design to compensate for the lack of a starter on the car.

Throughout the development phase, conducted by inaugural Formula 2 champion Andy Soucek, former Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up Ben Hanley and Grosjean, Renault-Sport was keen to ensure that the cutting-edge technologies and desired hike in performance would not destabilise the formula's cost-effective position in the single-seater market place.

"If a season cost is now between Euro 700 000 and Euro 800 000, I would expect it to be raised to between 760k and 860k in 2012,"says Renault-Sport Technologies circuit technical manager Benoit Dupont. "GP2 is around two million Euros, so we are still less than half the price."

While not in direct competition, the rise in GP2 budgets could lead to growing interest in the rebooted FR3.5 among aspiring drivers. It is an opinion voiced by ISR's Daniel Ricciardo, who recently joined fellow Red Bull-supported drivers Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastian Vettel in graduating directly from the category into Formula 1.

"I think as long as the racing can still be as competitive as it is this year, and has been in the past, [the new car] will definitely be a step forward,"says Ricciardo. "It looks really nice with the DRS and a bit more technology from F1. I think for what the car is, the power, and how many hours of track time you receive, the whole championship is very affordable in terms of racing, much more so than GP2.

The introduction of DRS is an attractive addition to hopeful F1 drivers

"It is definitely going to draw people to the series. I have had two good years here and I will definitely encourage it to upcoming young drivers. A bit more power is always nice and they'll enjoy that. There's more than 500bhp, which is pretty cool."

The switch from 480bhp Solution F engines to a 530bhp Zytek unit will be responsible for part of the estimated Euro 60,000 price increase.

"We know already that the engine costs will be Euro 25,000 more than today's complete engine costs of Euro 68,500 - which is the most competitive package around,"explains Renault-Sport's Emmanuel Esnault. "That additional Euro 25,000 includes the difference in price between 102 RON fuel and normal fuel, though, so that's included in the extra costs."

The philosophy of the car evolved from factors that included the global economy - worries over which caused the life of the outgoing model to be extended from three to four seasons - and attention to driver wishes and team feedback.

Dupont notes that one of the directives from his former MD Remi Deconinck was to build an innovative car. To that end, the SuperCaps system and DRS ably fulfil the request.

"It's not innovation just to be innovative,"says Dupont, "they all bring something in terms of either weight reduction or performance."

While Renault Sport were convinced of SuperCaps' potential from the outset, the relatively unproven technology initially caused a degree of jitters among project partners. Had either of the novel features proved problematic in testing, scope existed for Renault-Sport to modify its plans rather than risk delivering an unreliable product.

"When we started with SuperCaps people were nervous,"admits Dupont. "Everybody was a bit afraid at the beginning; Zytek, Dallara and Cosworth [Electronics]. They all said, 'Ah, I want a steady power supply...' but in the end that's what they got, so they're happy. At the beginning they were saying things like, 'Are you sure the SuperCaps is working? Shall we change the box? Oh - no, it's working, the problem is something else.' The real problem was the unknown."

The new 2012 Dallara-built car was unveiled at Silverstone

The DRS has yet to be evaluated with two cars running closely on track. While potential improvements in overtaking opportunities are therefore hard to determine, DRS has brought a significant increase in performance during testing in Spain.

Indeed, on-track results have outperformed CFG predictions. Straightline speeds with the system engaged have increased by 10km/h, and the system can boast relevance to training drivers for the, prospective, next stage of their careers: Formula 1.

"Our DRS is a very cheap solution compared to what you see in Formula 1,"says Dupont. "It is as or more efficient, and in my view cheap and reliable. This is not going to be really complicated for the teams, they won't have to bother with employing an engineer working only on the DRS."

Radiators and cooling remain unchanged from the previous car, despite the change of engine, which allows teams to carry over spares. The tub is also based on the outgoing model, but has been extensively modified. Structural carbon fibre pieces bonded onto the tub required the new car to be re-homologated, and submitted to a further FIA mandated push-test on the cockpit sides.

The revised car now meets 2010 Formula 1 safety regulations regarding cockpit height.

Criticisms have been mild. One experienced FR3.5 engineer expressed a preference to four-way adjustable dampers, as in GP2, but the issue is dismissed by Grosjean and Dallara's Luca Pignacca.

"I don't think it will hurt drivers that the dampers are different,"rebuts Grosjean. "It is more important that the lap times are as close as possible to GP2, because that will give them the best training."

"Don't forget," adds Pignacca, "that in Formula 1 you have got no adjustments. If you want to change something on the dampers in Formula 1, you change the damper - physically. We've still got good options. The number of dampers is still the same, one at the front and two at the rear, but now they are only two-way. We dropped two of the adjustments because we decided to go smaller and lighter. Nowadays, race engineers know how a car works very well, and also the circuits, so they are much more prepared when they get to a race track than before."

Should the car give rise to disaffection, it is more likely to be through disgruntled teams being turned away from the 13 controlled entry slots than any wrangling over technical specifications. That demand for places in next year's series outstrips supply is certain. Rumours at Silverstone suggested as many as 11 new teams have expressed an interest in joining the championship.

The truth will become clear on September 30th, the deadline for the first stage of the selection process when potential teams are required to place a deposit on application fees.

GP2 Series leader Romain Grojean has helped to develop the car

The interest has not tempted Emmanuel Esnault to increase the grid sizes. "No, 26 cars is the correct number for such level of competition, considering the market and the global economical context,"asserts Esnault. "This year, we have had the most stable championship in the past seven years. We have got 24 drivers who have made the whole season, and two seats have changed since the beginning of the year. It means that any more would be risky, and maybe it's because we only have 13 controlled entries that the level of interest is high."

Those who do gain a place can expect the series to develop another strong crop of drivers in 2012. "A driver who is making a good job in FR3.5 is ready for F1," concludes Esnault.

"I consider that it's possible for a driver who includes the World Series by Renault ladder in his career can, in five or six seasons of FR2.0 and FR3.5, or FR2.0 plus F3 and FR3.5, be ready for F1 with an outlay of far less than Euro 3.5 million. We've had Ricciardo, Alguersuari, Vettel and Kubica, for sure we will have many more."