SHANGHAI MOTOR SHOW: Renault previews F1 car of the future

Renault has used the Shanghai motor show to unveil a concept that signposts the future of Formula One and is said to celebrate four decades of the French car maker’s participation in top flight motorsport.

Called the R.S. 2027 Vision, the F1 concept car is claimed to outline what the race series might look line in ten years' time.

The radical concept sees an end to open cockpit racing with the driver enclosed in a safer see-through polycarbonate capsule providing greater protection.

Titanium pop-up rollover bars, meanwhile, deploy if the car detects an accident.

Beneath its aerodynamically-honed skin, the futuristic F1 concept doesn't completely abandon its familiar internal combustion engine but, instead of driving the rear wheels, a tiny engine is used as an on-board generator to charge the batteries that feed two 1000kW motors.

This state-of-the-art powertrain, Renault says, will see F1 cars use 50 per cent less fuel than they do today, seeing the fuel tank size reduced by half.

That means Renault predicts, in the future, F1 cars will be all-wheel drive.

Helping boost agility for street circuits like Monaco, the R.S. 2027 concept comes with four-wheel steer.

Maximising downforce, Renault has given its next-gen F1 racer active aero parts that feature LED lighting for night races.

Controversially, autonomous driving aids do feature in the R.S. 2027 - in the event of a crash the car can override the driver to prevent an impact.

To help improve the spectacle of single-seat racing Renault has suggest future F1 racers wear transparent crash helmets to allow fans see their favourite driver in action.

The French engine supplier and race team owner also thinks fans should be able to see the full telemetry of each car and that the format of race weekends should change.

In the future it thinks a weekend's grand prix should be two events - a long 250km race and a shorter race called the 'Final Sprint'.

Fridays, meanwhile, will be reserved for night time rookie races that's reserved for team's test drivers and young racers.

Renault says it hopes its new concept will, at the very least, generate debate within a sport that is waning in some countries.

Renault Sport Racing' Cyril Abiteboul said: "One role of Renault Sport Racing is to anticipate the future of Formula 1 so that it draws a maximum number of fans" said the F1 team's managing director, adding: "We look forward to generating inspired conversations with the racing community, fans and enthusiasts through this concept that highlights our ideas and desires."