Renault and STAR-CD continue to dominate Formula 1

London, 5th April 2005.

In a now characteristic display of superior driving and engineering, the Renault F1 Team scorched to a third consecutive victory in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix. Two weeks after his victory in Malaysia, run-away championship leader Fernando Alonso piloted his blue and yellow R25 to a comfortable victory. After dominating qualifying, the Spaniard led the race from start to finish.

Celebrating Renault's historic 100th victory in F1, Alonso said, "The R25 was perfect today, and the team has been fantastic all weekend, with no mistakes. To score 26 points out of 30 possible is brilliant"

Alonso's R25 was designed with the aid of STAR-CD, the world leading Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code from CD-adapco. Matthew Laight, head of CFD Development for the Renault F1 team, is quick to recognize this contribution, "STAR-CD continues to play a critical role in all aspects of the design of the R25", he said. "We use it not only to optimize the aerodynamics of the car, but also in engine design and brake cooling analyses."

Like the Renault F1 Team, CD-adapco dominates the world of F1. STAR-CD is by far the most successful CFD code in F1. As well as playing a significant part in each of the Renault victories, an incredible 92 of the 117 points awarded so far this season have gone to drivers of cars whose aerodynamics have been optimized using STAR-CD.

Steve MacDonald, President and founder of CD-adapco, is impressed by the victory. "Although we have long been recognized as the leading CFD code in the automotive industry, it is satisfying to see this illustrated so forcibly in the performance of the Renault F1 Team", he said. "We work hard to provide a competitive edge to all of our industrial partners, the success of our friends at the Renault F1 Team demonstrates that our effort is not in vain”.