The Renault R25 was the
Formula One car
A Formula One car (also known as an F1 car) is a single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel formula racing car with substantial front and rear wings, and an engine positioned behind the driver, intended to be used in competition at Formul ...
entered by
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
in the
2005 season. The chassis was designed by
Bob Bell,
James Allison,
Tim Densham and
Dino Toso with
Pat Symonds
Patrick Bruce Reith Symonds (born 11 June 1953) is a British motor racing engineer. He was the Chief Technical Officer at Williams Grand Prix Engineering, from 2013 until 2016 having previously worked at the Benetton, Renault and Virgin Formula ...
overseeing the design and production of the car as executive director of Engineering and
Bernard Dudot
Bernard Dudot () (born 30 January 1939) is a French engineer who was instrumental in the development of the turbo V6 and normally aspirated V10 engines of Formula One while working for Alpine and Renault. , he is Head of Engineering of the GP2 ...
leading the engine design. The car won both the
Drivers' and
Constructors' Championships in 2005, the first titles for any car racing with a
French licence since the
Matra MS80
The Matra MS80 was the fourth Formula One car produced by Matra (following the MS9, MS10 and MS11). The Ford Cosworth DFV-powered car (engine 3000 cc, estimated at around ) took Jackie Stewart to the Formula One World Championship title in ...
's triumph in the
1969 season. It also secured the first championship titles for a Formula One car racing with a
Renault engine since the
Williams FW19
The Williams FW19 was the car with which the Williams team competed in the 1997 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Jacques Villeneuve, in his second year with the team, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who moved from Sauber to replace t ...
in .
History
During the season, the car turned out to be slower than the
McLaren MP4-20
The McLaren MP4-20 is a Formula One racing car that was built by McLaren for the 2005 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Adrian Newey, Paddy Lowe, Pat Fry, Mike Coughlan and Peter Prodromou with Mario Illien designing the besp ...
at numerous points, with the win tally being 8–10. Reliability and consistency prevailed in the end, with
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mi ...
and
Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella (; born 14 January 1973), also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian professional racing driver, also captain of the official ''Nazionale Piloti'' association football team (composed of the racing drivers). He has d ...
taking the car to the last win and titles for a V10 powered Formula One car, marking the end of an era.
This car also claimed
Michelin
Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...
's first (and also second-to-last) title since its return in Formula One, winning the title again with Renault (the
R26 R26 or R-26 may refer to:
Roads
* R-26 regional road (Montenegro)
* R26 (South Africa)
Other uses
* R-26 (missile), a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile
* R26 (New York City Subway car)
* R-26 (salon), an artistic salon in Paris
* Br ...
2006-spec car) in the 2006 season, the last for the French tyre maker. The R25 was the first Constructors' Championship winning car since 1991 not to have been designed by either
Adrian Newey
Adrian Martin Newey, (born 26 December 1958) is a British Formula One engineer. He is currently the chief technical officer of the Red Bull Racing F1 team.
Newey has worked in both Formula One and American Championship car racing, IndyCar raci ...
or
Rory Byrne
Rory Byrne (born 10 January 1944) is a South African semi-retired engineer and car designer, most famous for being the chief designer at the Benetton and Scuderia Ferrari Formula One teams.
Byrne-designed cars have won ninety-nine Grands Pri ...
.
Over 19 races, it scored 191 points, 8 wins, 15 podiums and was fully out of the points just twice in 18 starts (not counting the
United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
where both Renault drivers, in common with all their fellow
Michelin
Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...
tyre runners, withdrew prior to starting).
The R25 was also the last Renault Formula One car to use a 6-speed gearbox before the switch to a mandatory 7-speed gearbox in
the following season.
Sponsorship and livery
Renault used 'Mild Seven' logos, except at the Canadian, United States, French, British, Turkish, Italian and Belgian Grands Prix.
Later uses
In
Episode 8 of Series 10 of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, completing two laps.
On 11 December 2020 Alonso drove the car for the first time in 15 years, hours before the start of the first practice session shown on