The COAT - Round Two - Renault R25 vs Ferrari F2002

[crmalcolm]

The tenth match in the second round, and we have the Renault R25 up against the Ferrari F2002.

The Renault won a 3-way with the Ferrari 246 F1 and Cooper T81 2-3-2, whilst the Ferrari defeated the Leyton House CG901 3-2 in the first round.

Renault R25 (Renaultsport.com):
New Year, New Car
Renault took a break from F1 at the end of the 1997 season but rejoined in 2000 after taking over the Benetton team. Renamed the Renault F1 Team in 2002, its first win was at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix, then again at the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix. For 2005, new regulations led to the development of the R25 with its innovative front suspension system – a response to the ban on tyre changes – better aerodynamics and an engine that could run in two successive Grand Prix.

Key to the success of the R25 was its reliability and its RS25 V10 three-litre engine, paired with a new on-board electronic system. The engine position was lowered to bring down the centre of gravity in comparison to the R24 model, which had placed third in the previous season to lay a promising foundation for the future.

Significant stiffening of the chassis also helped handling on the R25, along with a reduced weight of only 610 kg thanks in large part to the new electronic control system that allowed for better aerodynamics, weight balance and much faster data processing.

Alonso and teammate Giancarlo Fisichella won three victories and a third place during the first four races of the 2005 season. Chased closely all year by Ferrari and McLaren, the reliability of the R 25 – and the skills of both Renault drivers – won through. After 19 races, seven victories, eight more places podiums and only two retirements, 24-year-old Fernando Alonso claimed the F1 title.

The R25 was fitted with a paddle-operated six-speed semi-automatic gearbox (with one reverse gear). The engine developed 800 bhp, and took the car to a top speed of more than 300 km/hr. Its lightweight chassis was made from aluminum honeycomb composite monocoque and carbon fibre, and its brakes were also carbon fibre all round. With a length of 4.8 m and width of 1.8 m, its wheelbase was 3.1 m.

Ferrari F2002 (goodwood.com):
A bit like picking which of the Mercedes hybrid winners or which of the Red Bull early-2010s cars is the best, the only way to really differentiate between the Ferrari F1 cars of 2000-2004 is by the numbers. The 2002 and 2004 are the cars that really dominated, both winning 15 races, but the 2002 just about edges it by clinching those victories in one fewer race.

So dominant was Ferrari at this stage that it didn’t even introduce the F2002 until the third race of the 2002 season. And it would soldier on until the fourth race of the 2003 season. In fact if you take just the season the F2002 was originally designed to race in it won 14 of 15 races.

Powered by a screaming 3.0-litre V10 the F2002 wasn’t the most powerful car on the grid – that honour fell to the BMW-powered Williams cars – but it was by far and away the best handling. Featuring an innovative clutchless gearbox that was so small that the rear could be packaged in almost any way designer Rory Byrne wished. It was this extra capacity for aerodynamic design that led to the late introduction of the F2002. Michael Schumacher, in his absolute pomp, still won the first race of the season in the old car, and then finished third in Malaysia at race two. Then when the new car arrived he set off on a winning run that has barely been seen in F1. Four successive wins were followed by a run of six wins in the last ten races, during which time team-mate Rubens Barrichello added another four victories and Schumacher never finished outside the top two. So dominant was the F2002 that the Constructors Championship was won with nearly triple the number of points of Ferrari’s nearest challengers – Williams. The F2002 began 2003 while Ferrari struggled with the design of the follow up. As the F2002B it would win its final race at the San Marino Grand prix. Interestingly, while the F2002 was undeniably the best racing car of the 2002 season, it only just edged the Williams FW24 for qualifying, by seven to the Williams’s eight. But that could have been largely due to the barnstorming season that Juan Pablo Montoya was having.

[S griffin]

The R25 was a great car, but not quite as dominant as the F2002