After leaving behind Renault’s simulation room and its enforced obscurity, we head towards a building radiating with light to discover another tool recently upgraded at Enstone. As we enter, an RS17 chassis, lacking its bodywork and a power unit, sits atop a seven-post rig capable of submitting a car to a three-dimensional simulation run on any track. Four hydraulic jacks placed under the wheels replicate bumps and camber changes while three additional – called “aeroloaders” – reproduce roll, pitch and yaw. And there’s also a mass damper right underneath where the driver sits to simulate the dynamics of the human presence. Venezuelan engineer Rene Torcato – who has joined the...
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