The car that finally prised Michael Schumacher and Ferrari's five-year grip from the throat of Formula 1; the car that delivered Renault its first title as a full-blooded constructor; the car that made Fernando Alonso the youngest ever world champion; and remarkably, the first title winner since 1991 not designed by either Adrian Newey or Rory Byrne.
Yet the Renault R25 that set these landmark records wasn't even considered by many as the best car of 2005, never mind an F1 great. Surprising? In the context of Alonso's ever increasing standing within grand prix history, it should be. After all, the R25 represents exactly half of his world title-winning tally, from a career that has promised so much more than 'only' two championships.
The tendency for Renault's R25 to be overlooked lies within the extenuating circumstances to Alonso and Renault's breakthrough season: for one thing, Schumacher and Ferrari were effectively out of the game thanks to a rule change on tyres and Bridgestone incompetence; for another, McLaren-Mercedes built a quicker car.
McLaren's MP4-20 won 10 races to the R25's eight in 2005, only for poor reliability to cost McLaren its first titles since 1999. Kimi Raikkonen led the charge, winning seven races to match Alonso's tally, while Juan Pablo Montoya - in from Williams - took three.
This was the one-off season in which it was decided F1 cars should complete both qualifying and races on one set of tyres, a throwback to a distant past and an extreme method to end the era's sprint-stop-sprint race pattern. Only a change in the weather or a puncture could allow a tyre swap, although Raikkonen's suspension failure caused by heavily worn rubber at the end of the Nurburgring race highlighted a serious safety issue with this format. Still, the racing was invariably great.
The change threw Bridgestone, which struggled to provide Ferrari with rubber that would both perform and last the duration of 200-mile races. But Michelin managed it, opening the door to a Renault vs McLaren duel and the French tyre supplier's first F1 titles since the 1980s. The only anomaly was Indianapolis, the infamous race where Michelin's tyres failed to withstand the forces pushed through them on the banked final turn.
Its teams felt compelled to pull in at the end of the formation lap, leaving just six Bridgestone-tyred runners to take the start. The debacle would lead to Schumacher's only victory of the campaign and cast a long shadow over what should have been a wonderful year for Michelin.
But does any of this take anything away from the R25's claims to greatness? It shouldn't - because this rare example of a genuinely harmonious Anglo-French alliance represents F1 at its best: clever, neat and efficient engineering from a well-honed team that simply did a better job than its opposition.
Despite the extravagant personality of frontman Flavio Briatore, there was nothing flash about this team. Under the steady influence of engineering chief and future F1 Racing columnist Pat Symonds, a crack collective of seasoned racing professionals led by tech director Bob Bell, chief chassis designer Tim Densham and aerodynamicist Dino Toso, conceived a car built on sound principles (and the corrected mistakes) established during the preceding five seasons.
There was no 'silver bullet' innovation that separated the R25 from the rest - perhaps another clue to its relative under-appreciation. But it did feature tidy design solutions such as the pioneering V-keel suspension mounting under the nose and a clever, all-new and lighter electronics system that controlled engine and chassis.
"The majority of the season, the McLaren was the faster car, but I will not accept it was a better car"Pat Symonds
Over the Channel, at Viry-Chatillon, Rob White devised a second generation of his narrow 72-degree V10 that was both lighter and more powerful. Fully integrated, the potency of the chassis/engine package could not be underestimated. For the first time in his (short) career, Alonso had a car he could fully believe in, with perfectly neutral handling that allowed him to exploit his naturally aggressive cornering style. The glimpses of promise had always been there. Now F1 got full sight of what this young man could be.
Rather than Alonso, it was Giancarlo Fisichella - back to the Enstone team after spells at Jordan and Sauber - who struck first with victory in Melbourne. Then his precocious team-mate swiftly ended any pretensions of an Italian-led title charge, with a hat trick of victories at Sepang, Sakhir and Imola to open a healthy points lead. Further wins would follow at the Nurburgring, Magny-Cours and Hockenheim, but still it was clear that McLaren carried the ultimate pace.
Then Symonds' experience really kicked in. Ever the pragmatist, he accepted McLaren's edge and chose a conservative course through the rest of the season that prioritised reliability, therefore protecting the team's hard-won points lead and ensuring it delivered the spoils his French paymasters demanded. By Spa, Alonso was openly admitting the policy was costing Renault "three or four tenths a lap" yet he continued to rack up the points.
Third place at Interlagos, with two races still to run, wrapped up Alonso's historic first title. No nonsense, clinical, admirable - just hardly the stuff of legend. So when Raikkonen scored his career signature victory from the back of the grid a race later at Suzuka, Alonso was already safely installed as champion.
A final victory for Alonso in China at the season's conclusion ended a McLaren streak of six straight wins, and emphasised that Renault deserved its titles. As Symonds put it, "The majority of the season, [the McLaren] was the faster car, but I will not accept it was a better car."
Ferrari and Bridgestone would be back to full strength in 2006, for the new 2.4-litre V8 formula, and Renault and Alonso would have their work cut out to defend their titles. But as history relates, they were more than up to it.
Specification
Chassis Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque
Front suspension Top and bottom wishbones with inboard titanium rocker via a pushrod system
Rear suspension Top and bottom wishbones with vertically mounted torsion bars and horizontally mounted damper units. Bottom wishbone attached by V-keel mounting
Engine Renault RS25 V10 72° v-angle
Engine capacity 3000cc
Power 900bhp @ 19,000rpm
Gearbox six-speed semi-automatic
Tyres Michelin
Weight 605kg including driver, camera and ballast
Notable drivers Fernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella
RACE RECORD
Starts 19
Wins 8
Poles 7
Fastest laps 3
Other podiums 10
Retirements 6
Points 191
The car that finally prised Michael Schumacher and Ferrari's five-year grip from the throat of Formula 1; the car that delivered Renault its first title as a full-blooded constructor; the car that made Fernando Alonso the youngest ever world champion; and remarkably, the first title winner since 1991 not designed by either Adrian Newey or Rory Byrne.
Yet the Renault R25 that set these landmark records wasn't even considered by many as the best car of 2005, never mind an F1 great. Surprising? In the context of Alonso's ever increasing standing within grand prix history, it should be. After all, the R25 represents exactly half of his world title-winning tally, from a career that has promised so much more than 'only' two championships.
The tendency for Renault's R25 to be overlooked lies within the extenuating circumstances to Alonso and Renault's breakthrough season: for one thing, Schumacher and Ferrari were effectively out of the game thanks to a rule change on tyres and Bridgestone incompetence; for another, McLaren-Mercedes built a quicker car.
McLaren's MP4-20 won 10 races to the R25's eight in 2005, only for poor reliability to cost McLaren its first titles since 1999. Kimi Raikkonen led the charge, winning seven races to match Alonso's tally, while Juan Pablo Montoya - in from Williams - took three.
This was the one-off season in which it was decided F1 cars should complete both qualifying and races on one set of tyres, a throwback to a distant past and an extreme method to end the era's sprint-stop-sprint race pattern. Only a change in the weather or a puncture could allow a tyre swap, although Raikkonen's suspension failure caused by heavily worn rubber at the end of the Nurburgring race highlighted a serious safety issue with this format. Still, the racing was invariably great.
The change threw Bridgestone, which struggled to provide Ferrari with rubber that would both perform and last the duration of 200-mile races. But Michelin managed it, opening the door to a Renault vs McLaren duel and the French tyre supplier's first F1 titles since the 1980s. The only anomaly was Indianapolis, the infamous race where Michelin's tyres failed to withstand the forces pushed through them on the banked final turn.
Its teams felt compelled to pull in at the end of the formation lap, leaving just six Bridgestone-tyred runners to take the start. The debacle would lead to Schumacher's only victory of the campaign and cast a long shadow over what should have been a wonderful year for Michelin.
But does any of this take anything away from the R25's claims to greatness? It shouldn't - because this rare example of a genuinely harmonious Anglo-French alliance represents F1 at its best: clever, neat and efficient engineering from a well-honed team that simply did a better job than its opposition.
Despite the extravagant personality of frontman Flavio Briatore, there was nothing flash about this team. Under the steady influence of engineering chief and future F1 Racing columnist Pat Symonds, a crack collective of seasoned racing professionals led by tech director Bob Bell, chief chassis designer Tim Densham and aerodynamicist Dino Toso, conceived a car built on sound principles (and the corrected mistakes) established during the preceding five seasons.
There was no 'silver bullet' innovation that separated the R25 from the rest - perhaps another clue to its relative under-appreciation. But it did feature tidy design solutions such as the pioneering V-keel suspension mounting under the nose and a clever, all-new and lighter electronics system that controlled engine and chassis.
"The majority of the season, the McLaren was the faster car, but I will not accept it was a better car"Pat Symonds
Over the Channel, at Viry-Chatillon, Rob White devised a second generation of his narrow 72-degree V10 that was both lighter and more powerful. Fully integrated, the potency of the chassis/engine package could not be underestimated. For the first time in his (short) career, Alonso had a car he could fully believe in, with perfectly neutral handling that allowed him to exploit his naturally aggressive cornering style. The glimpses of promise had always been there. Now F1 got full sight of what this young man could be.
Rather than Alonso, it was Giancarlo Fisichella - back to the Enstone team after spells at Jordan and Sauber - who struck first with victory in Melbourne. Then his precocious team-mate swiftly ended any pretensions of an Italian-led title charge, with a hat trick of victories at Sepang, Sakhir and Imola to open a healthy points lead. Further wins would follow at the Nurburgring, Magny-Cours and Hockenheim, but still it was clear that McLaren carried the ultimate pace.
Then Symonds' experience really kicked in. Ever the pragmatist, he accepted McLaren's edge and chose a conservative course through the rest of the season that prioritised reliability, therefore protecting the team's hard-won points lead and ensuring it delivered the spoils his French paymasters demanded. By Spa, Alonso was openly admitting the policy was costing Renault "three or four tenths a lap" yet he continued to rack up the points.
Third place at Interlagos, with two races still to run, wrapped up Alonso's historic first title. No nonsense, clinical, admirable - just hardly the stuff of legend. So when Raikkonen scored his career signature victory from the back of the grid a race later at Suzuka, Alonso was already safely installed as champion.
A final victory for Alonso in China at the season's conclusion ended a McLaren streak of six straight wins, and emphasised that Renault deserved its titles. As Symonds put it, "The majority of the season, [the McLaren] was the faster car, but I will not accept it was a better car."
Ferrari and Bridgestone would be back to full strength in 2006, for the new 2.4-litre V8 formula, and Renault and Alonso would have their work cut out to defend their titles. But as history relates, they were more than up to it.
Specification
Chassis Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque
Front suspension Top and bottom wishbones with inboard titanium rocker via a pushrod system
Rear suspension Top and bottom wishbones with vertically mounted torsion bars and horizontally mounted damper units. Bottom wishbone attached by V-keel mounting
Engine Renault RS25 V10 72° v-angle
Engine capacity 3000cc
Power 900bhp @ 19,000rpm
Gearbox six-speed semi-automatic
Tyres Michelin
Weight 605kg including driver, camera and ballast
Notable drivers Fernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella
RACE RECORD
Starts 19
Wins 8
Poles 7
Fastest laps 3
Other podiums 10
Retirements 6
Points 191
