Renault's radical V-keel

With the new rules introduced for 2005, forcing teams to raise the front wing of their cars, many teams have abandoned the previously common twin keel format to their front suspension, which allowed more air to be utilised underneath the car in helping increase the downforce. Renault, however, has gone in the opposite direction and switched from a single keel to a V-format.

Technical director Bob Bell said, at the launch of the new car in Monaco on Tuesday, that he was pleased that new cars already launched by rival teams have not featured the V-keel and hoped it would provide benefits both mechanically and aerodynamically.

"It's a good structural advantage, and a good aerodynamic advantage and so for us it is a win-win situation," he said. "It is a good solution and it is a nice touch for this year that's a little bit different."

The R25 features a more aggressive aerodynamic approach from the team and Bell is optimistic that planned developments that are scheduled for this season will help the team achieve its targets.

"We've got an aggressive development programme for the car," he added. "We've made changes to the way the team works over the last season and we feel confident that we can take this aggressive approach.

"On the chassis side, changes will come on a race-by-race basis, which will concentrate mainly on aerodynamic performance and reducing weight of the car. But we also have to be flexible to optimise the life and usage of the tyres because of the new rules."