Renault R26

The R26 on display at Fernando Alonso Sports Complex
Category	Formula One
Constructor	Renault
Designer(s)	Pat Symonds (Executive Engineer) Bob Bell (Technical Director) James Allison (Deputy Technical Director) Tim Densham (Chief Designer) Martin Tolliday (Project Leader) Tad Czapski (Technology Director) Robin Tuluie (Head of R&D) Dino Toso (Head of Aerodynamics) Rob White (Engine Technical Director)
Predecessor	R25
Successor	R27
Technical specifications[citation needed]
Chassis	Carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)	Double wishbone/pushrod operating torsion bar
Suspension (rear)	As front
Length	4,800 mm (189 in)
Width	1,800 mm (71 in)
Height	950 mm (37 in)
Axle track	1,450 mm (57 in) (front) 1,400 mm (55 in) (rear)
Wheelbase	3,100 mm (122 in)
Engine	Mecachrome-built Renault RS26 (2.4L) 2,398 cc (146 cu in) V8 90° naturally aspirated, mid engined, longitudinally-mounted
Transmission	Renault 7-speed + 1 reverse titanium longitudinal sequential semi-automatic transmission
Power	755-775 hp @ 20,500 rpm[1][2]
Weight	605 kg (1,334 lb) with driver, camera and ballast
Fuel	Elf Atmo 98.5 RON
Lubricants	Elf Evolution 900 SXR
Tyres	Michelin
Competition history
Notable entrants	Mild Seven Renault F1 Team
Notable drivers	1. Fernando Alonso 2. Giancarlo Fisichella
Debut	2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
First win	2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
Last win	2006 Japanese Grand Prix
Last event	2006 Brazilian Grand Prix
Races Wins Poles F/Laps 18 8 7 5
Constructors' Championships	1 (2006)
Drivers' Championships	1 (Alonso, 2006)

The Renault R26 is a Formula One racing car, used by the Renault F1 team in the 2006 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Bob Bell, James Allison, Tim Densham and Dino Toso with Pat Symonds overseeing the design and production of the car as executive director of Engineering and Rob White leading the engine design. The car was driven by Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella. Over the course of the season it scored 8 wins out of 18 races, followed closely by the rival Ferrari 248 F1. The R26 helped Renault in claiming the Constructors' Championship with a 5-point advantage over rival Ferrari, and also taking Fernando Alonso to his second Drivers' Championship in succession, 13 points ahead of rival Michael Schumacher. It brought the last Constructors' Championship in recent history to tyre manufacturer Michelin. Renault used 'Mild Seven' logos in Bahrain, Malaysia, Australia, Spain, Monaco, United States, Hungary, China and Japan. In countries where advertising of tobacco products was not allowed, the Mild Seven text was replaced with "Team Spirit".

Like its rival the Ferrari 248 F1, the R26 was notable for its rock-solid reliability, chassis R26-03 driven by Fernando Alonso started all of the races of the 2006 season without the need to be replaced (F1 drivers usually go through multiple chassis in a season), it also led more laps and won more races than any single chassis in 2006 in addition to winning the world championship.^[3] R26-03 now sits at Renault's “Histoire et Collection” heritage collection in Paris.

The R26 was succeeded by the R27 for the 2007 season.

Mass damper

A tuned mass damper, also known as a harmonic absorber, is a device that is attached to structures in order to reduce the strength of vibrations passing through them.^[4] Tuned mass dampers are used in buildings across the world to reduce the effects of earthquakes and strong gusts of wind.^[5] In the Renault R26, this technology was used for a more benign purpose. It was used to keep the front of car stable over kerbs and through slow and fast corners. Keeping the front of the car stable is crucial to the aerodynamic efficiency of the car because changes in ride height - caused by bumps on the road or changes in downforce levels due to speed - can alter the way that air passes over the front wing of the car and therefore the rest of the car's aerodynamic efficiency also suffers.^[6] The Tuned mass damper in the Renault R26 was invented by Renault engineer Rob Marshall. The mass damper itself was a cylinder, standing upright, with the mechanical components inside. Inside the cylinder sat a 9 kilogram disc which rested in between two springs. The disc was free to move on the Y-axis with its only hindrance, the springs that it was attached to and the damper fluid within the cylinder. The whole assembly was attached to the chassis inside the nosecone of the car. The device was then 'tuned' to the needs of each track by either changing the clearance between the disc and the cylinder bore or by adjusting the size of two-way valve within the disc itself. The Tuned mass damper on the Renault R26 vibrated in the opposite direction from the chassis due to inertia, with its magnitude calculated by the 'tuning' variables mentioned above. This counteracting force stabilized the front end of the car over kerbs and through slow and fast corners.^[7]

Renault first introduced the technology in its 2005 challenger, Renault R25. The technology was raced in the last few races of the 2005 season and had been deemed to be legal by the stewards. During the first half of the 2006 season, Renault had built up a comfortable points lead over their main rivals Ferrari. However, at the time of the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring the FIA decided to ban all the teams from using tuned mass dampers in their car. Even though the system was deemed legal for over half a year, the FIA decided that it broke the rule that no moving part can influence the aerodynamics of the car. Renault claimed that the loss of the system cost them 0.3 seconds a lap. The ban hurt the Renault team more than their competitors because Renault had designed their whole car around the technology, meanwhile, their competitors had just included the technology as an after-thought after seeing Renault's implementation. This was clearly visible because Ferrari won 5 of the 7 remaining races in the season. However, the French team managed to defend both championship titles successfully.^[8]

• 
  Alonso and Fisichella took a front row at the Spanish Grand Prix.
• 
  Alonso in chassis R26-03 at the Canadian Grand Prix.
• 
  Renault RS26 engine.
• 
  Alonso driving the R26 in a testing session held in February 2006 at Circuit de Valencia.