Brembo Formula 1 Brake Facts for Saudi Arabia

December 2, 2021 by Brembo

The special way brakes are used at Jeddah as well as the world of brake pads for Formula 1 cars

Brembo engineers offer a guide to braking for this weekend's Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Dec. 3-5.

Formula 1 goes to Saudi Arabia at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, 30 kilometers outside the historic city of Jeddah. Without 90 degree turns that have always been a feature of city circuits, it is destined to be the longest and fastest circuit of this type in the history of the World Championship.

The organizers are expecting an average speed per lap of over 250 km/h (155 mph) even if there are 27 corners, another current record for Formula 1. According to Brembo technicians, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is classified as a track with a medium level of difficulty for brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it is rated 3 on the difficulty index, the same as the Intercity Istanbul Park. ​

Half a pound of brake pads, please!​

​​In addition to aluminum-lithium calipers and carbon fiber discs, Brembo also supplies its teams with brake pads, also made from carbon fiber. Brembo makes five different types for the front brakes and two for the rear ones. They vary according to the specifications of the material used, the internal ventilation and the geometry.

The length of each pad ranges from 160 to 190 mm (6.3 to 7.4 in.) and the surface area from 50 to 90 cm2 (0.05 to 0.09 ft2) whereas the weight varies from 150 to 300 grams (0.3 to 0.66 lbs.). The pads have a friction coefficient of 0.5 and the operating temperature is the same as the discs – they both have very high thermal conductivity since they are in direct contact and made from similar materials. ​

An endless range of brake pads for street-legal cars​

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Thanks to the experience it has gained in 46 years of Formula 1 and its partnership with car manufacturers, Brembo has developed a range of brake pads for street-legal cars which guarantee maximum safety when braking. Through constant research and extensive laboratory and road tests, it has produced over 100 different compounds.

The aim is to offer the best solution for each type of vehicle and driving style, both in terms of performance and comfort and guarantee a low noise level. Brembo makes a total of 1,400 different products, which cover over 98 percent of the cars on the road.

Braking just like Imola​

Even if it has 27 corners, the Formula 1 drivers use their brakes on only seven of the corners on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. There are even five consecutive corners, from Turn 8 to Turn 12, where the brake system is not used since it is not needed to remain on the tarmac track.

The F1 drivers use their brakes for a total of 9.6 seconds on a whole lap, a similar value to the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Racetrack at Imola which is almost 1.3 km shorter. From the start to the checkered flag in the Saudi Arabian GP, the brakes are used for 14 percent of the time. All the braking episodes generate decelerations of between 2.2 and 4.5G and do not hit the peak values of other tracks. ​

A historic corner No. 27​​​​

Of the seven braking sections at the Saudi Arabian GP, two are classified as very demanding on the brakes, two are of medium difficulty and the other three are light.

The hardest on the brake system is the last one because the single-seaters come on to it after braking for the last time on Turn 22. As they come onto corner 27, the cars reach 317 km/h (197 mph) before using the brakes for the 2.6 seconds needed to slow down to 110 km/h (68.3 mph). In the meantime, they cover a distance of 127 meters (138.8 yards) and the drivers experience 4.3g of deceleration.

•The circuit identity card with all the information on all the braking sections, in .pdf format: http://www.mediakit.brembo.com/index.php/circuits/f1-2021#english

•The video of the hardest braking point of the GP, in mp4 format (low and high resolution): https://we.tl/t-2MRPTpVUUr

•The video can also be consulted at the YT link: https://youtu.be/BRghSD7lOrg

•The comment of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabia Prix according to Brembo, in web format: https://www.brembo.com/en/company/news/gp-formula1-saudi-arabia-2021-brembo-brakes