Not much braking with Formula 1 racing at Monza, but thrilling all the same

9/7/2021

Guide to the use of Brembo discs on the Italian GP corners and ventilation for road cars

The third event in just three weeks for Formula 1 which returns to Italy five months after the Emilia Romagna GP at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Racetrack. According to Brembo technicians, the Monza Circuit is a very demanding circuit for brakes.

On a scale of 1 to 5, it is rated 4 on the difficulty index, the same as Sochi where the GP will be held at the end of the month. The low aerodynamic load used to take advantage of the really long straights means highly violent throttle-off moments on the three chicanes (Straight, Roggia and Ascari) making them particularly demanding for the driver.

Up to 1,480 ventilation holes for Formula 1 discs 

Each driver can choose from six different Brembo front disc solutions depending on the temperatures expected during the Grand Prix and the specific race strategy. There is the medium cooling option with 800 holes, high cooling with 1,250 holes and very high cooling with 1,480 holes. Each of these then offers a sub-option with a process on the outer diameter - the so-called groove.

In the case of very high cooling, the holes are arranged in seven different rows, in the intermediate case in six rows and the other case in four rows. They measure 2.5 millimeters in diameter each and are precision-machined individually. It takes 12-14 hours to punch all the holes on a single disc. The mechanical component tolerance is only four hundredths.

No to thermal shocks for road cars too

Although they don't reach the 1,200°C of Formula 1 cars, road car braking systems can also overheat. To avoid this, Brembo has researched the shape of the ventilation chamber for over a quarter of a century. Thanks to this, peg ventilation has replaced the traditional fins.

The pegs, arranged on three circumferences along the braking band, with different geometry to ensure optimum fluid dynamic performance, increase the resistance to thermal cracks by up to 30 per cent, extending the life of the disc.

Find tailor-made brakes for your car at www.bremboparts.com

Lowest braking record

The Monza Circuit is the only World Championship 2021 track with just 6 braking points on each lap. Despite this, the amount of time that the brakes are used on each lap is the third lowest in F1: with 10.75 seconds, it exceeds the 10 seconds at the Red Bull Ring and 9.5 seconds at Imola.

When expressed as a percentage, in the Italian GP, brakes are used for 14% of the total duration of the race, higher than the 13% of the Spa-Francorchamps and Imola circuits. From the starting line to the checkered flag, at Monza each driver exerts a total load of 31.6 metric tons on the brake pedal.

Almost 200 kg on the first corner 

Of the six braking sections at the Italian GP, three are classified as very demanding on the brakes, one is of medium difficulty, and the remaining two are light.

The hardest for the braking system is the first one after the starting line: the single-seaters come into it at 353 km/h (219 mph) and drop to 88 km/h (54.6 mph) in just 135 meters (132 yards). To do this, the drivers brake for 2.66 seconds, applying a load of 195 kg (429.9 lb) to the brake pedal and undergoing a deceleration of 5.5 G.