© F1i
RENAULT COOLS FROM THE TOP DOWN
We wondered what housed the engine cover of the Renault RS18, particularly wide in its upper part.
In reality, it accomodates a radiator suspended above the engine block (see the blue arrow). This element, which cools the ERS, seems to be supplied with fresh air through an opening made under the roll-hop air intake, behind the driver’s helmet.
Such positioning is not ideal for lowering the centre of gravity, but it allows to clean up the sidepods and slim the rear of the car.
As on the majority of 2018 cars, the airbox no longer just serves to channel air to the engine, but is subdivided into a multitude of ducts for the purpose of cooling.
The central duct is divided into two ducts: one supplies air to the thermal V6 (red arrow), while the other – located above – transports the air to the oil cooler that cools the gearbox (yellow arrow). The side intakes, meanwhile, are connected to two thin tubes that we see on both sides (green arrows), but whose exact destination is unknown.
