Formula 1 GP at Silverstone, home to our AP Racing cousins

7/4/2023

The Silverstone Circuit, which has been using only renewable energy since April, is the venue for the 10th event of the season.

The Silverstone Circuit, which has been using only renewable energy since April, is the venue for the 10th event of the season. According to the Brembo technicians, the British track is one of the least demanding circuits on the brake system. On a scale of 1 to 5, the Silverstone Circuit is rated 1 on the difficulty index - there is only one other with the same rating on the F1 calendar, the Suzuka Circuit.

Even if it is rated as a not very demanding circuit, the brake system is far from superfluous at the Silverstone Circuit; the drivers use the brake pedal 8 times on each lap to guarantee the best cornering. In the event of rain which is a variable that must be taken into account at Silverstone, when braking you can see a big difference in driving style between the various drivers. In this situation, the driver who best interprets the optimum level of braking force that is discharged on the asphalt is the one who will make the difference.

AP Racing from Nuvolari to Brembo 

AP Racing is based about forty miles to the north of the Silverstone Circuit. It is one of the leading brands supplying brakes and clutches for racing cars and motorcycles. The company was founded in 1920 by three business partners in London to import from the USA components for ex military vehicles converted for civil use after the First World War.

Not long after, it began to manufacture components and in 1938, Tazio Nuvolari won the British GP with an Auto Union with AP Lockheed hydraulic brake system. It made its debut in Formula 1 in 1971 on a Ferrari 312B. Since 2000, AP Racing has been part of the Brembo Group and for this reason, in 2023 all the F1 cars use brake calipers made by the Brembo Group: more specifically, 9 teams are supplied with Brembo calipers whereas one team is supplied with AP Racing calipers.

Almost no brakes from Turn 7 to 14

The real challenge at Silverstone is avoiding glazing of the friction material and bringing the friction material to a temperature range of over 350 °C which is the minimum operating temperature for carbon fiber discs and pads. The drivers encounter the most critical parts of the track from this point of view The risk is greater once they go past Brooklands (turn 6) up until the Chapel (turn 14) because on that section, use of the brakes is very limited.

From turn 7 to turn 14, speed drops by less than 75 km/h (47 mph) and deceleration does not go over 3.5G. The brakes are used for just under 14 seconds in all which amounts to 15% of the entire race. From the starting line to the checkered flag, each driver exerts a total load of 40 metric tons on the brake pedal, one of the lowest in the entire world championship.

2.5 seconds at the Brooklands corner 

Of the 8 braking sections at the British GP, 3 are classified as highly demanding on the brakes, 2 are of medium difficulty and the remaining 3 are light.

The most difficult braking section is the one on turn 6 where the cars approach it at a speed of 305 km/h (190 mph) after taking on turn 5 (Aintree) without using the brakes.

The brake system guarantees a speed when entering the corner of 141 km/h (87.6 mph) in just 2.51 seconds during which they cover a distance of 143 meters (469.1 yards). To do this, drivers apply a load of 122 kg (268.9 lb) on the brake pedal and undergo a deceleration of 4.2 G.

And what about the video games?

To effortlessly tackle the Brooklands corner (turn 6) in the British GP of the Formula 1 video game, don’t be deceived by the signs.

Only apply the brakes once you have gone past the 50-meter sign. Downshift into 4th gear and move onto the curb, but only on the final part of the corner.

Only press the accelerator pedal for just 1 second or you will turn into turn 7 too late.