Monza and the Chicanes that make all the difference

9/6/2022

How the brakes are used in the Italian GP where the Brembo antidrag system, also available for street-legal cars, is vital

Last race of the season in Europe for Formula 1 which after the Italian GP will go to Asia, then the Americas, and then finally the Far East. According to Brembo technicians, the Monza Circuit is a track with a medium level of difficulty for brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it is rated 3 on the difficulty index.

The low aerodynamic load used on the long straights leads to high speeds at the start of braking and high energy which must be dissipated when braking on the three Chicanes (the Rettifilo, Roggia and Ascari). This requires a great deal of skill and effort from the drivers and good brake balance at the front and rear.

The Brembo antidrag system on the track 

Every element must be optimized on the Formula 1 cars to avoid behavior that reduces overall performance. Usually, the focus is on the wings and the bodyshell of the single-seaters, but other components also have a negative effect.

One of these anomalies has been resolved by Brembo by introducing antidrag to the calipers which is a system that uses a torsional spring that reduces residual torque, i.e., unwanted friction between the disc and the pad, even under extreme conditions. When the brake is not used, the lever prevents any contact between the two parts and eliminates even the slightest resistance as the vehicle moves forward.

The antidrag system for street-legal cars 

In racing, the antidrag system prevents performance loss whereas on road cars, it has two advantages which are important for motorists: it increases the component’s service life and reduces emissions as well as limiting wear on the pads and discs by reducing the particles generated by residual friction.

It does this using Enesys which is an acronym for Energy Saving System, a new generation of Brembo brake spring technology, developed to reduce the residual torque of the brakes. Thanks to these springs, the pads return to their original position in the caliper once the brake pedal is released.

Find out more about this ingenious solution.

Very little braking but watch out for Corner 8

Even if it only has 6 braking sections, on the Monza Circuit the brakes are used for 9.5 seconds per lap. The other Italian World Championship track has 10 braking sections per lap but the brakes are used for a total of just 11 seconds.

When expressed as a percentage, in the Italian GP, brakes are used for 12% of the total duration of the race, the lowest figure in the second part of the championship. Drivers are subjected to a remarkable 4.4G of deceleration on corner 8 where a load of 135 kg (298 lb) is applied to the brake pedal. From the starting line to the checkered flag, at Monza each driver exerts a total load of 40 metric tons on the brake pedal.

Less than 258 km/h (160 mph) in 2.8 seconds

Of the 6 braking sections at the Italian GP, 4 are classified as very demanding on the brakes and 2 are of medium difficulty.

The hardest for the braking system is the first one after the starting line: the single-seaters come into it at 334 km/h (207.5 mph) and drop to 76 km/h (47.22 mph) in just 139 meters (152 yards). To do this, the drivers brake for 2.81 seconds, applying a load of 135 kg (298 lb) on the brake pedal and undergoing a deceleration of 4.3 G.

And what about the video games?

Before giving advice on how to tackle the first corner in the Italian GP in the Formula 1 video game correctly, we need to make one point clear: if you start in pole position, you can follow this advice immediately whereas if you are caught up in the midst of the other vehicles, you need to make sure you avoid contact with the other single-seaters. Brake before you pass the 100 m sign keeping the car straight. Move down into 2nd gear, then steer to the right with part of the car on the inside curb so that you can maintain a trajectory that is as straight as possible as you come out of the chicane.