The 2020 Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix according to Brembo

7/7/2020

A guide to the Brembo braking systems in Formula 1 single-seaters at the Red Bull Ring, 7 days later.

After the thrilling debut of the Formula 1 World Championship, marked by 8 single-seaters with Brembo brakes in the points zone, the championship will deliver an encore this weekend at the Red Bull Ring.

According to Brembo technicians, the Red Bull Ring is one of those tracks with a medium level of difficulty for brakes. This track, on the other hand, is highly demanding for MotoGP races: competitors on two wheels use the brakes for 27 seconds each lap, which is 170 per cent more than in Formula 1.

The Brake by Wire Brembo for Formula 1

Since 2014, when Brake-by-Wire was introduced in Formula 1, Brembo redesigned the rear part of its braking systems to identify solutions for the best cohabitation between brakes and energy recovery systems.

Brembo produces various Brake-by-Wire components for the teams: actuators for some, valves and rigidity simulators for others. Continuous research is carried out on the maximum miniaturization of Brake-by-Wire elements. The TTL (time to lock) is 100 milliseconds, three times quicker than traditional solutions.

Brake use during the Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix

In five out of seven of the braking sections on the Austrian track, drivers use the brakes after exceeding 300 km/h (186 mph): the exception is the braking sections on the seventh and tenth corners. The deceleration only exceeds 200 km/h (124 mph) in two places, while on four of the corners it is less than 80 km/h (50 mph).

The average lap deceleration stands at 3.6 G, the highest of the first 5 Grand Prix races in the 2020 championship. From the starting line to the checkered flag, a total load of 39 metric tons per driver is exerted on the brake pedal: every lap is equal to five and a half metric tons.

The longest braking section of the Spielberg Round

Of the seven braking sections at the Austrian GP, three are classified as very demanding on the brakes, none are of medium difficulty and the remaining four are light.

The longest braking section is at the fourth corner, where the single-seaters have to travel 141 meters to slow down from 342 km/h (213 mph) to 122 km/h (76 mph). To complete the operation, the drivers need 2.57 seconds in order to apply a load of about 173 kg (381 lbs) and undergo 5.2 G in deceleration.