Renault wanted to demonstrate their long-term commitment to staying in Formula One with a cool concept of what they envision for the series’ future. Their Renault RS 2027 Vision promises to be safer, faster, friendlier for the environment and more fun to watch. It’s a cool spaceship with wheels. We like where they’re going with this one.
Closed cockpits feel like an inevitability at this point given the ludicrous speeds of modern F1 racers. Renault turned the RS 2027 Vision’s closed cockpit into a feature of the car, not only making it a big bubble around the driver, but also by making the side of the body of the car itself see-through. You can see the full side of the driver’s body at work driving the car in the RS 2027 Vision, as Renault claims it’s made of an ultra-resistant polycarbonate.
You’ll want to look at the rest of the car as well, though. LEDs in the wheels project important messages about the car and its position on track. Movable aerodynamic aids including active wings are also lit up for fans to see.
Renault also wants fans to view the much-guarded telemetry data from the RS 2027 Vision, giving us many more things to nerd out to at home. Renault says they want F1 fans to be more involved in the sport, which is an attitude that’s been sorely missing from the so-called “pinnacle of motorsport” for far too long.
As usual with F1, they want to have some sorta-semblance to road car trends as well. Renault’s RS 2027 Vision even adopts the C-shaped lighting design from the marque’s road cars.
The concept car is four-wheel drive with four-wheel steering. It utilizes high density batteries in its hybrid system that allow Renault to cut its fuel tank capacity in half compared to today’s cars.
Despite that, the RS 2027 Vision still produces 1,341 horsepower, with 670 hp of that coming from the car’s two-part kinetic energy recovery system, per CarScoops. The car itself only weighs 1,323 pounds, giving it a power to weight ratio of 1,000 hp per ton more than present-day F1 race cars.
The pit lane speed limiter will cut power to an electric-only mode, and in the case of an accident, the driver can initiate the car’s autonomous mode that will drive the car to safety. Car-to-car communication will enable drivers of the RS 2027 Vision to see other competitors on track better, and there’s even the possibility of allowing the car to let online gamers take control.
If the future of F1 turns out anything like this, I can’t wait.