About Asian Formula Renault
The AFR Series, commonly known as Asian Formula Renault Series, is one of the pinnacles of single seaters in Asia. The races are held mainly in Southeast Asia and attract drivers from all over the world.
The championship holds six rounds, and twelve races, visiting the most popular racing circuits in China Mainland. Created in 2000, Formula Renault 2.0 quickly came to be seen as necessary stepping stone for drivers looking for a career in F1. Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Scott Speed have all made the step up directly from FR 2.0 to motorsport’s top category!
Simple yet effective, the Formula Renault 2.0 has been designed to meet specifications requiring controlled season costs, total sporting fairness between competitors, excellent reliability and enough potential performance to allow the talent of the best drivers to show through.
This single-seater offers a sufficiently wide range of mechanical and aerodynamic settings to allow drivers to learn what single-seater racing is all about. By prohibiting teams from preparing or modifying certain parts of the car – above all the engine and the electronic control unit – Renault Sport guarantees that everyone has access to the same level of performance. It is above all what the driver does behind the wheel which makes the difference!
FR2.0 uses strict specifications such as sealed engine, single make tires, three non-interchangeable gear sets, and controlled suspension settings. This tight control makes FR 2.0 straightforward to race both in terms of budget and technical set up.
Making its appearance in 2000, Formula Renault 2.0 quickly established itself as an obligatory port of call for young drivers hungry for a career at the very highest level, among them Kimi Raikkonen, who made the switch straight from the category to Formula One. Likewise, Heikki Kovalainen, Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica, Kamui Kobayashi, Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean, Jules Bianchi, Paul Di Resta, Charles Pic and Pastor Maldonado have all cut their teeth at the wheel of an FR 2.0 before going on to a bigger stage.
A no-nonsense yet high-performance single-seater, the Formula Renault 2.0 has been designed to respond to a specific set of requirements, including a season budget cap, fair competition between drivers, excellent reliability and a performance potential that allows the very best drivers to shine. Providing significant scope for mechanical and aerodynamic adjustments, the FR 2.0 gives aspiring drivers every chance to learn the ropes. And in prohibiting modifications to the engine and the electronic control unit, among other parts of the car, Renault Sport ensures identical performance for everyone. It’s behind the wheel where the difference is made.
Following a rigorous study and development programme, in 2010 Renault Sport introduced a revamped single-seater offering improved performance and handling more akin to cars higher up the formula racing pyramid.
Assembled at the Alpine factory in Dieppe in line with an optimised process, each car is inspected and race-prepared prior to delivery. Driver safety is also a core feature of the FR 2.0, the first single-seater to be homologated to FIA F3 2011 standards. With considerable enhancements made in this respect, the FR 2.0 is the benchmark for others to follow.
