Zandvoort’s orange tide and Max’s record

8/22/2023

Re-energized after the summer break, Formula 1 kicks off again in the Netherlands where the orange tide will be repeated in the stands, as testified by over 300,000 spectators last year.

Re-energized after the summer break, Formula 1 kicks off again in the Netherlands where the orange tide will be repeated in the stands, as testified by over 300,000 spectators last year. According to the Brembo technicians, home to the race, the Zandvoort Circuit is one of the least demanding circuits on the brake system.

On a scale of 1 to 5, it is rated 2 on the difficulty index. One of its distinctive features is turns 3 and 14 banked at around 19 degrees, more than double the corners at Indianapolis. This has a significant effect on the single-seater set-up which also affects the brakes.

From Michael to Max, what a change 

In the first 12 GPs of the season, Max Verstappen has scored 314 points out of a maximum of 336, the equivalent of 93.45%. Only Alberto Ascari in 1952 and 1953 and Jim Clark in 1963 and 1965 have succeeded in ending a year in Formula 1 with a higher percentage and only because of the elimination system qualifying format in place at the time.

In the championships without elimination, Michael Schumacher holds the record and in 2002 in a Ferrari with a Brembo brake system scored 144 points out of 170, the equivalent of 84.71%. At the time, carbon brake discs had just 72 ventilation holes all arranged in one row with a 10 mm diameter compared with the over 1000 holes with a 3 mm diameter on the present-day single-seaters.

6 corners in a row where the brakes are used

The Formula 1 drivers use their brakes on 9 of the 14 turns on the Dutch track: from turn 8 to turn 13, the brakes are vital whereas from turn 4 to turn 7, they are never used. On one lap, the drivers use their brakes for a total of 11.3 seconds which amounts to 16% of the entire GP race.

The extremely smooth flowing of the track is confirmed by the presence of only 1 turn where braking lasts more than 2 seconds and just 4 turns with a stopping distance of only 55 meters (180.4 feet). Three braking moments, on the other hand, require a load on the brake pedal of over 100 kg (220 lb) and yet from the start to the finish, each driver exerts a force of 61.5 metric tons, almost the same as the Austrian GP.

191 km/h (118.6 mph) less with 141 kg (310.9 lb) of load 

Of the 9 braking sections at the Dutch GP, 2 are classified as highly demanding on the brakes, 3 are of medium difficulty and the remaining 4 are light.

The most difficult braking is on the first turn because the cars come off a 1.1 km (0.69 mile) straight with no braking on the last turn. The single-seaters hit the brakes at 310 km/h (192 mph) and drop to 118 km/h (73 mph) in just 119 meters (390.4 feet).

To do this, the drivers brake for 2.28 seconds, applying a load of 141 kg (310.9 lb) on the brake pedal and experiencing 4.7G of deceleration.

And what about the video games?

Tackling Corner 1 on the Circuit Zandvoort in the Formula 1 video game is fairly easy: start braking as soon as you pass the 100 m sign.

Move down into 3rd gear and gradually move over onto the inside so that you just touch the curb without going up onto it.

Since it is a hairpin, there is no need to open the throttle immediately; wait a few seconds and make sure you discharge the braking torque when coming out of the turn.