The Lotus Renault GP team has become the fourth F1 team to reveal its new car for the 2011 F1 season.The covers came off the R31 during a launch event at the Valencia circuit ahead of the three day test which will begin on Tuesday.Read the full news by Simon Strang from Autosport below.
RENAULT UNVEILS ITS 2011 CHALLENGER
Renault has unveiled its new R31 challenger to the press in Valencia’s pitlane, ahead of the three-day pre-season test which begins at the Spanish venue tomorrow.
The car, which carries black and gold livery following its deal with Lotus Group, is the fourth 2011 car to have been launched this week.
The car was fired up for the first time at the team’s Enstone factory last week, and Vitaly Petrov is schedule to drive the car for the first time on Tuesday before Robert Kubica takes over for the last two days.
Renault has opted for a pull-rod suspension for the rear end, with the structure under car above the tea tray that appears quite radical compared to rival cars.
Speaking to AUTOSPORT earlier in the month, the team’s technical director James Allison described the development direction Renault has taken as ‘brave’ adding: “Anyone who follows the sport will have seen that words like aggressive [and] brave are being bandied around across several of the teams this year for their solutions.
“I believe that we have chosen a direction that is really on the brave end of brave.”
The team also revealed that former HRT driver Bruno Senna will join Romain Grosjean, Jan Charouz, Ho-Ping Tung and Fairuz Fauzy as part of the team’s test and reserve driving strength.
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