With three Drivers’ World Champion titles earned over the last four Formula 1 championships and a fourth barely missed with more Grand Prix wins than anyone (10) in 2016, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Driver Lewis Hamilton is the star performer in the era of hybrid power units.
From 2014 to 2016, the British driver won an impressive 31 Grands Prix in three seasons with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport. In 2017 success continued even after the implementation of the new rules; In fact, Lewis broke the record previously held by Michael Schumacher for the most pole positions in Formula 1 and he earned his fourth world title with 9 wins and 12 podiums with Mercedes – AMG Petronas Motorsport
Braking Style
The secret to his speed in the single qualifying lap lies in his ability to exploit to the max the vehicle's grip according to the track conditions, squeezing out all of the potential in his MercedesF1 W08 EQ Power+.
This often leads him to going beyond the grip of the tires on the front wheels with extremely aggressive braking, while maintaining command of the wheel lock like no other in the paddock. A less expert driver would permanently damage the front tires, penalizing performance, but Lewis knows which limits cannot be surpassed.
When he carries out the operation perfectly the advantage cannot be beaten, as seen when he simultaneously overtook both Raikkonen and Ericsson at the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix.
After the first stage of braking, the Brit doesn't completely release the brake right away. Instead he continues to use it as he increases the steering angle. This technique, which was spread globally by fellow countryman Jim Clark, has been given the name Trail Braking.
Hamilton learned it as a child when he drove go-karts, which is another reason why he favors oversteering, a common follow up to Trail Braking, rather than dealing with understeering. Ever since his debut for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Hamilton has proven that he is comfortable with the braking systems used by the team.
As official supplier of the brake calipers, Brembo has been a major part of Lewis’ driving style – allowing him to push the cars limits. In Formula 1, even the braking systems have to be personalized so that they adapt better to the strengths of the specific single-seater.
Brembo works in close contact with both the team and the driver from the design phase of the car to get the most performance from the tailor-made brake calipers.
