Indian Autos Blog wish to thank Arjun from Chennai for sending us these snaps. ING was one of the key sponsors for IIT Shaastra, an annual tech fest conducted by the students of IIT . The IITians were able to convince ING to bring the Renault R28 F1 car to their campus and put it on display for the visitors to see and relish. The tech fest happened earlier this month in the Chennai campus.

While many midfield runners have shut down the development of their 2008 cars, Renault has shown that pressing on can bear F1 fruit. After 14 successive bad results, Renault has shown perseverance can surely bring up podium finishes. Yes, Ferrari and Mclaren have better cars, but none have performed the feat of rising from rubble. On that note, here’s an insight into the recent developments at Renault.

The car is powered by the RS27 V8 engine, which remains substantially the same as last year’s unit, and it represents a shift in design philosophy from its predecessor, in order to extract optimum performance from the Bridgestone tyres that all competitors have used since the start of 2007. The new car features revised weight distribution and a new aerodynamic concept to match, which has been enabled by the introduction of a “zerokeel” front suspension mounting. The monocoque and bodywork to improve the packaging of the car’s mechanical systems while under the skin, the SECU and new gearbox represent the biggest changes. As with all new designs, the team has worked hard to improve stiffness and remove weight throughout the car, to provide maximum setup adjustability from circuit to circuit. The team pushed very hard in all areas, and particularly on the aerodynamics. The front end of the car has come in for special attention with a brand new front wing and the front suspension. The rear end has also been heavily reworked, and we haven’t neglected the basics. The car ran reliably in its first test, and we made encouraging progress on performance development last week.

Key to the team’s decision to maintain the development of R28, which began the season a long way off the teams it is now beating, was the team’s capability to handle both that programme and still keep on top of the design and build of the R29 which, coupled with the FIA’s decision to allow ‘engine equalisation’ among the F1 teams, could push the regie back among the race-winners from the start of 2009.

They know how to make a car for Bridgestones now, which we didn’t a year ago.  And the team is the same one; they haven’t forgotten how to make a quick car. IAB has a feeling that they can climb back to their normal position next year!

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