The 2019 Formula 1 Brazilian GP according to Brembo

11/11/2019

An in-depth look at the braking systems on the Formula 1 single-seaters at Autódromo Carlos Pace

Formula 1 lands in Brazil for the 20th race of the 2019 World Championship, taking place November 15-17 at Autódromo José Carlos Pace.

Located in the Cidade Dutra district of São Paulo, the track is named for the Brazilian driver who won the 1975 Brazilian GP. The rest of the world however knows it as Autódromo de Interlagos.

Built in 1940, the circuit has been modified throughout the course of the years, most recently in 1990.

The cars drive counterclockwise and the straights are fairly short: As a consequence, there is only one occasion when braking is used to drop the speed by more than 200 km/h (124 mph).

The track is very drivable with frequent changes in direction, but it also has high-speed turns that don't require use of the brakes.

This is the case especially on Curva do Sol (turn 3), Subida dos Boxes (turn 14) and Arquibancadas (turn 15).

The only serious obstacle to the correct operation of the carbon brakes is bad weather: in the 2016 the race was held in the rain and the temperature of the tarmac didn't go over 21° C (70° F).

According to Brembo technicians, who have classified the 21 tracks in the World Championship, the Autódromo José Carlos Pace is an average demanding track on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 3 on the difficulty index.

The demand on the brakes during the GP

Every lap, the brakes are used barely seven times, but it is not the negative record for the World Championship: in Hockenheim are used five times, in Monza and Montreal six.

Overall, during one lap at Interlagos, the brakes are used for almost 12 seconds which comes to 19% of the duration of the race.

The presence of few hard braking points results in the average peak deceleration per lap of 3.6 G.

Even the energy dissipated in braking by each single-seater during the entire GP is contained: 206 kWh.

From the starting line to the checkered flag, each driver exerts a total load of 40 tons and a half on the brake pedal, which is almost identical to the Russian GP.

The most demanding braking sections

Of the 7 braking points at Autódromo José Carlos Pace, two are classified as highly demanding on the brakes by Brembo technicians, two are of medium difficulty and the three rest are light.

The most challenging by far is at the first corner because the single-seaters arrive after having accelerated non-stop for 17-18 seconds. They arrive at the braking section going 346 km/h (215 mph) and they brake for 2.32 seconds while traveling 135 meters (443 feet). To reach 131 km/h (81 mph) and set up the curve, the drivers have to apply a 168 kg load (370 lbs) on the brake pedal and undergo a deceleration of 5.6 G.

A greater G-force (5.2 G) is found also at turn 4, but the braking section is shorter: 1.52 seconds and 103 meters (338 feet) are needed to bring the speed to 178 km/h (111 mph), practically dropping the speed by almost 170 km/h (106 mph).

Turns 8 and 10 also require more than a couple of seconds of braking, although these are the slowest corners on the track with the drivers going 100 km/h and 99 km/h (62 mph), respectively. But the Formula 1 cars arrive going less than 260 km/h (162 mph) so each section only requires 96-100 meters (328 feet).

Brembo performance

Single-seaters with Brembo brakes have won 24 of the 44 GP races in Brazil that they took part in. Michael Schumacher has won the most races here with four victories. Ferrari leads the teams with 11 victories. Of the last eleven editions, the driver who began in first row won the Gran Prix.