Renault R31
Encyclopedia
The Renault R31 is a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 racing car designed by Lotus Renault GP
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...

 for the 2011 Formula One season
2011 Formula One season
The 2011 Formula One season was the 62nd FIA Formula One season. The original calendar consisted of twenty rounds, including the inaugural running of the Indian Grand Prix before the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Pirelli returned to the sport as tyre supplier for all teams, taking over...

. The car's distinctive black and gold livery was designed as a tribute to the Team Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...

 cars of the 1980s and the famous John Player Special
John Player & Sons
John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. It is today a part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:...

 liveries (those cars also used Renault engines). Speculation suggested that as the design is reminiscent of a cigarette package, the team would be in violation of strict anti-tobacco laws in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and would be unable to use it at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix
2011 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2011, was the seventh round of the 2011 Formula One season and was held on 12 June 2011 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve...

. However, senior team personnel dismissed the claims, stating that "another famous team" (i.e. Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

) was racing with colours similar to that of another tobacco brand and had done so in Canada without trouble in previous years. Ultimately, the car raced in Canada with no changes to its livery.

Design

The R31 was unveiled at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 on 31 January 2011, where Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Alexandrovich Petrov is a Russian Formula One racing driver, currently driving for the Lotus Renault GP team. He is known as "Vyborg Rocket" in Russia. He is, to date, the only Russian to have competed in the Formula One World Championship....

 was first to drive it.. The car attracted attention for a radical exhaust system, with speculation suggesting that it could be routed under the floor to create a "forward blown diffuser" effect after the car was unveiled with no visible exhaust vents, though Renault have not confirmed or denied any technical developments except to state that the car has been the product of a twelve-month development cycle. It has been suggested that several other teams have been quick to adapt to the concept, with talk that the forward blown diffuser will be implemented on several cars for upcoming tests. It has been further implied that the exhaust system offers significant gains, as incorporating them is a complex process, requiring teams to rearrange the internal electronics of the car and undertaking strenuous side-impact tests to get the new parts approved. However, some key personnel from other teams – most notably Mercedes'
Mercedes GP
Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team, the trading name of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited, is a British-based Formula One racing team and constructor, owned by Mercedes-Benz and racing under a German licence since the 2010 season....

 Ross Brawn
Ross Brawn
Ross James Brawn OBE is an English motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal. He has worked for a number of Formula One teams, serving as the technical director of the championship-winning Benetton and Ferrari teams. He took a sabbatical from the sport in 2007 but returned to F1 for the...

 – have downplayed the importance of the parts.
The exhaust system became a major disadvantage as the season unfolded. The car suffered from low downforce on slower circuits, particularly Singapore. The system also made it extremely difficult to develop the car. After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the eighteenth and penultimate round of the 2011 Formula One season. It was held on 13 November 2011 at the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island, a man-made island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It was the third running of the Abu Dhabi...

, designer James Allison admitted the forward exhaust concept rendered the R31 a 'failed experiment':

Season review

It was a solid début for the R31 with Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Alexandrovich Petrov is a Russian Formula One racing driver, currently driving for the Lotus Renault GP team. He is known as "Vyborg Rocket" in Russia. He is, to date, the only Russian to have competed in the Formula One World Championship....

 qualifying sixth and then taking his first F1 podium in the opening round of in Melbourne
2011 Australian Grand Prix
The 2011 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 27 March 2011 at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. It was the 76th race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix that dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928...

. This was followed by an equal qualifying and race result for Nick Heidfeld
Nick Heidfeld
Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium...

 in the while team mate Petrov was launched in the air by a high kerb with a few laps remaining. This was to be the last of Renault's
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...

 podiums though, and they remained fourth in the Constructors' Championship after Petrov's ninth in China
2011 Chinese Grand Prix
The 2011 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 17 April 2011 at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It was the third round of the 2011 Formula One season...

 and their first double points score in Turkey
2011 Turkish Grand Prix
The 2011 Turkish Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 DHL Turkish Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race held on 8 May 2011 at Istanbul Park in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the fourth round of the 2011 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by the championship leader,...

 with seventh and eighth. Heidfeld's fire in Saturday Practice meant the car was badly damaged in the , and he had to start the in twenty-fourth. The R31 was repaired by Sunday though, and Heidfeld charged to the points (eighth) and pushed team mate Petrov out of them (eleventh) in the process.

In Monaco
2011 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2011 Monaco Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2011, was held on 29 May 2011 at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Sixth round of the 2011 Formula One season, the 78 lap race was won by the championship leader, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel who started from...

 Petrov crashed out from sixth place with 6 laps to go, knocking himself unconscious temporarily, and causing a red flag. Heidfeld still collected valuable points though, finishing in eighth again. In a wet , it was Heidfeld's turn to crash,this time from fourth; Petrov however, still took fifth by the end of the race. Heidfeld took points in both Valencia
2011 European Grand Prix
The 2011 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia, Spain on 26 June 2011. The race, which was the eighth round of the 2011 Formula One season, was won by defending world drivers' champion and championship leader Sebastian Vettel, who was...

 and Britain
2011 British Grand Prix
The 2011 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 10 July 2011, at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, England, and won by Fernando Alonso....

 to keep them ahead of Mercedes
Mercedes GP
Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team, the trading name of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited, is a British-based Formula One racing team and constructor, owned by Mercedes-Benz and racing under a German licence since the 2010 season....

 for as long as possible, before they ended up fifth after the Silverstone race. Two retirements for Heidfeld followed in his final two races for the team in Germany
2011 German Grand Prix
The 2011 German Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Großer Preis Santander von Deutschland 2011, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 24 July 2011, at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany. It was the tenth round of the 2011 Formula One season. The race, contested over 60 laps, was won...

 and Hungary
2011 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix, formally the XXVII Eni Magyar Nagydij, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 31 July 2011, at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, near Budapest, Hungary It was the eleventh round of the 2011 Formula One season, and the 27th Hungarian Grand Prix...

,both causing significant damage to the R31. With only a ninth in Germany for Petrov, a the team's first no score of the season in Hungary it was obvious development of the R31 was not fast enough and they were slipping backwards.

After the summer break, the car seemed to have rediscovered form in qualifying; with Heidfeld's replacement Bruno Senna
Bruno Senna
Bruno Senna Lalli is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver and the nephew of the late three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna. His mother is Ayrton's older sister, Viviane. His father, Flávio Lalli, died in a motorcycle crash in 1996. He wears a slightly modified version of his uncle's...

 qualifying seventh in mixed weather in Spa
2011 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2011 Belgian Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 28 August 2011, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium. It was the twelfth round of the 2011 Formula One season, and the 67th Belgian Grand Prix to be held...

 and Petrov tenth - and the pair the opposite way around in Monza
2011 Italian Grand Prix
The 2011 Italian Grand Prix, formally known as the 2011 Gran Premio Santander d'Italia, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 11 September 2011 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy. It was the thirteenth round of the 2011 Formula One season, and was also the sixtieth time the Italian...

. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for these races, with only two ninth places (and Senna's first points) from the pair of them. Things seemed dreadful for them in the , a track that definitely did not suit the car, because Petrov was knocked out in Q1 and Senna was only fifteenth in Qualifying. Senna did not improve his position in the race, and Petrov moved up one place. This meant the team were struggling even to maintain their fifth place in the Constructors' Championship - sixth placed Force India
Force India
Sahara Force India Formula One Team, the trading name of Force India Formula One Team Limited, is a Formula One racing team based in Silverstone, United Kingdom which currently holds an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 2007 when a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and...

 had scored 36 points in the last four Grands Prix to Renault's 4, and were now only 22 points behind. Both Senna and Petrov returned to the top ten in Qualifying in the , and after a close race with many other cars for the tail end of the points, Petrov eventually took ninth with Senna down in nineteenth. Three disappointing races followed in Korea
2011 Korean Grand Prix
The 2011 Korean Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that was held on 16 October 2011 at the Korean International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolla, South Korea...

, India
2011 Indian Grand Prix
The 2011 Indian Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 30 October 2011 at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India...

 and Abu Dhabi
2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the eighteenth and penultimate round of the 2011 Formula One season. It was held on 13 November 2011 at the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island, a man-made island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It was the third running of the Abu Dhabi...

, where neither driver scored a point.

Complete Formula One results

(results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year Entrant Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Points WCC
Lotus Renault GP
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...

Renault
Renault Sport F1
Renault Sport F1 is the current incarnation of Renault's involvement in Formula 1. It was born at the end of 2010, when the carmaker sold the 25 per cent final share property from its Enstone-based team, Renault F1, to major stockholder Genii Capital but kept for itself the control of its...

 RS27 V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....

AUS
2011 Australian Grand Prix
The 2011 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 27 March 2011 at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. It was the 76th race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix that dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928...

MAL
2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 April 2011 at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor, Malaysia. It was the second round of the 2011 Formula One season. The race, contested over 56 laps, was won by Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel after starting from...

CHN
2011 Chinese Grand Prix
The 2011 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 17 April 2011 at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It was the third round of the 2011 Formula One season...

TUR
2011 Turkish Grand Prix
The 2011 Turkish Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 DHL Turkish Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race held on 8 May 2011 at Istanbul Park in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the fourth round of the 2011 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by the championship leader,...

ESP
2011 Spanish Grand Prix
The 2011 Spanish Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Santander 2011, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 22 May 2011 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain. It was the fifth round of the 2011 Formula One season...

MON
2011 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2011 Monaco Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2011, was held on 29 May 2011 at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Sixth round of the 2011 Formula One season, the 78 lap race was won by the championship leader, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel who started from...

CAN
2011 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2011, was the seventh round of the 2011 Formula One season and was held on 12 June 2011 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve...

EUR
2011 European Grand Prix
The 2011 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia, Spain on 26 June 2011. The race, which was the eighth round of the 2011 Formula One season, was won by defending world drivers' champion and championship leader Sebastian Vettel, who was...

GBR
2011 British Grand Prix
The 2011 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 10 July 2011, at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, England, and won by Fernando Alonso....

GER
2011 German Grand Prix
The 2011 German Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Großer Preis Santander von Deutschland 2011, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 24 July 2011, at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany. It was the tenth round of the 2011 Formula One season. The race, contested over 60 laps, was won...

HUN
2011 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix, formally the XXVII Eni Magyar Nagydij, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 31 July 2011, at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, near Budapest, Hungary It was the eleventh round of the 2011 Formula One season, and the 27th Hungarian Grand Prix...

BEL
2011 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2011 Belgian Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 28 August 2011, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium. It was the twelfth round of the 2011 Formula One season, and the 67th Belgian Grand Prix to be held...

ITA
2011 Italian Grand Prix
The 2011 Italian Grand Prix, formally known as the 2011 Gran Premio Santander d'Italia, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 11 September 2011 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy. It was the thirteenth round of the 2011 Formula One season, and was also the sixtieth time the Italian...

SIN
2011 Singapore Grand Prix
The 2011 Singapore Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 25 September 2011 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. It was the fourteenth round of the 2011 Formula One season, and the twelfth time the Singapore...

JPN
2011 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2011 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that was held on 9 October 2011 at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. It was the fifteenth round of the 2011 Formula One season, and the thirty-eighth time the Japanese Grand Prix had been held...

KOR
2011 Korean Grand Prix
The 2011 Korean Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that was held on 16 October 2011 at the Korean International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolla, South Korea...

IND
2011 Indian Grand Prix
The 2011 Indian Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 30 October 2011 at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India...

ABU
2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the eighteenth and penultimate round of the 2011 Formula One season. It was held on 13 November 2011 at the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island, a man-made island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It was the third running of the Abu Dhabi...

BRA
2011 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Grande Prêmio Petrobras do Brasil 2011 was the ninteenth and final round of the 2011 Formula One season...

73 5th
Heidfeld
Nick Heidfeld
Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium...

12 3 12 7 8 8 Ret 10 8 Ret Ret
Senna
Bruno Senna
Bruno Senna Lalli is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver and the nephew of the late three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna. His mother is Ayrton's older sister, Viviane. His father, Flávio Lalli, died in a motorcycle crash in 1996. He wears a slightly modified version of his uncle's...

13 9 15 16 13 12 16 17
Petrov
Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Alexandrovich Petrov is a Russian Formula One racing driver, currently driving for the Lotus Renault GP team. He is known as "Vyborg Rocket" in Russia. He is, to date, the only Russian to have competed in the Formula One World Championship....

3 17 9 8 11 Ret 5 15 12 10 12 9 Ret 17 9 Ret 11 13 10

Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed >90% of the race distance.
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