BREMBO BRAKE FACTS FOR FORMULA 1 PIRELLI CHINESE GRAND PRIX

April 14, 2016 by Brembo

DETROIT, (Apr. 14, 2016) – Brembo is pleased to continue an initiative dedicated to the media covering the Formula 1 World Championship that shows braking facts for F1 cars specific to each circuit. The Shanghai International Circuit will host the third race of the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship season from April 15-17.

The track, created by architects Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl, is designed along the lines of the Chinese Shang character. A straightaway measuring 1,397 meters (0.86 miles) has the single seaters going full throttle for 56 percent of each lap, while the five second-gear turns require a high aerodynamic downforce. The kit on the single-seaters falls halfway between the two extreme cases, favoring braking action so that the aerodynamic resistance facilitates deceleration.

According to Brembo technicians, who classified the 21 World Championship tracks on a scale of 1 to 10, the Shanghai International Circuit is in the category of circuits that present mid-level difficulty for the brakes. The Shanghai track earned a score of six on the difficulty index, which is identical to what the Barcelona track and the new track in Mexico City scored.

Brake use during the GP

The time spent braking, 18 percent of the overall duration of the race, is the lowest among the first seven races in the 2016 championship. The average deceleration is 3.4 g, which is lower than 15 percent of the values for the races contended in Australia and Bahrain. As for energy dissipated in braking, the Shanghai International Circuit slides into the third last position among the World Championship circuits: during a race, a car dissipates an average of about 97 kWh in energy while braking, a figure that is equivalent to the amount of electric energy a Tanzanian resident consumes in a year. Furthermore, throughout the race each driver has to brake approximately 450 times, applying a total force on the pedal that surpasses 51 tons, or 10 times the weight of an average-sized elephant.

The most challenging stops

Of the eight braking sections on the Shanghai International Circuit, two are classified as hard on the brakes, four are medium difficulty and two are light.

The most challenging braking section, meaning it nearly reaches 5 g, is Turn 14 where the drivers arrive at more than 330 km/h (205 m/h), so they have to apply a load of 183 kg (403 lbs) on the pedal in order decelerate to 61 km/h (38 m/h) in just 1.74 seconds. In terms of g, the first turn (4.6 g) doesn't mess around either, but the speed is reduced only by half: from 320 to 158 km/h (199 to 98 m/h).

The four braking sections of medium difficulty still demand a downforce on the pedal measuring between 104 and 132 kg (229 and 291 lbs); not a stroll in the park.

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The least challenging braking section is the hairpin turn at Turn 3, where the cars arrive at just over 120 km/h (75 m/h) and the drivers only have to brake for 20 meters (66 feet) to set the turn.

Brembo Victories

In China, Brembo has won eight out of 12 races contended up to today, including the last four, three of which were with Mercedes. Ferrari however, boasts four victories. In China, Sebastian Vettel won his first race with Red Bull in 2009. Lewis Hamilton, with Brembo, is a two-time race winner in Shanghai.

Brembo supplied its first racing brake system to Ferrari in 1975, in the Formula One World Championship. Since then, the Italian company has invested heavily in research and development of highly innovative and technological products. Since 1975, the Italian brake manufacturer earned championships in F1 (21 Drivers' and 25 Manufacturers'), 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 of 27 years), MotoGP (25 of 28) and four in IndyCar since returning to the series in 2012.

About Brembo SpA

Brembo SpA is the world leader and acknowledged innovator of disc brake technology for automotive vehicles. Brembo supplies high performance brake systems for the most important manufacturers of cars, commercial vehicles and motorbikes worldwide, as well as clutches and other components for racing. Brembo is also a leader in the racing sector and has won more than 300 championships. Today the company operates in 16 countries on 3 continents, with 24 production and business sites, and a pool of about 7,800 employees, about 10% of whom are engineers and product specialists active in the R&D. 2015 turnover is € 2,073.2 million (12.31.2015). Brembo is the owner of the Brembo, Breco, AP, Bybre, and Marchesini brands and operates through the AP Racing brand.