Next season’s World Series by Renault will see the competitive debut of the new Formula Renault 3.5. The latest version of the single-seater – developed by Renault Sport Technologies and its various technical partners – will be more powerful than its predecessor and boast a number of cutting-edge features, whilst complying with the latest safety regulations and fitting comfortably within season budgets.
The maker says that the car will share even more common features with a Formula One car, making it the ideal vehicle in which to prepare drivers for the demands of F1. It will feature a new Dallara chassis, which is an evolution of the current frame with radically different front and rear wings and cockpit, but 70% of the Renault 3.5’s parts are brand new, compared to the outgoing car.
The new car’s two main innovations are with its Drag Reduction System (DRS), similar to the one used in F1, and the absence of a battery and starter. In addition to its new, Zytek Engineering-developed 530 hp V8 mill, the 3.5 also gets a new gearbox, a pneumatic clutch control and a state-of-the-art electronic system. It will also wear cutting-edge carbon brakes and new tyres specially developed by Michelin.
In all, the new car is 50 hp more powerful and 15 kg lighter than the current model, despite the discipline’s latest, more stringent safety measures. It also features anti-intrusion panels and a considerably improved power-to-weight ratio.
The new car went through its development phase in June, July and August, and was tested on several European circuits. In tests, the new car has already proven to be 2.6 seconds quicker than the pole time set by the current car at the Motorland Aragón meeting earlier in 2011.
Once data collection from testing has been validated, Renault Sport Technologies will move on to the production phase, with a view to making their first deliveries in January 2012 ahead of the season, which is due to begin in March.
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