Brembo Brake Facts for Formula 1 Austria

July 2, 2021 by Brembo

Brembo engineers offer a guide to braking for this weekend's Formula 1 BWT Grosser Preis Von Osterreich 2021 Grand Prix to run at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, July 2-4.

Like in 2020, there will be two Formula 1 races in a row at the Red Bull Ring once again this year. According to Brembo technicians, the Austrian circuit falls into the category of tracks with a medium level of difficulty for the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a three on the difficulty index, identical to the Imola and Monaco tracks.

For MotoGP bikes, on the other hand, this is a highly demanding track. It has a difficulty index of five, using the same scale. In fact, with only two wheels coming into contact with the asphalt, the bikes use the brakes in an entirely different way, not to mention vastly different braking distances. ​

According to Brembo engineers, the Red Bull Ring is one of those tracks with a medium level of difficulty for brakes. On a scale of one to five, it earned a three on the difficulty index, matching the score of other tracks such as Budapest and Zandvoort.

The Austrian track is the only one in the World Championship where a lap takes less than 64 seconds, although last year, thanks to the rain, pole was won with a time of over 79 seconds, something not seen since 1998. Only three braking sections require more than one second of braking.

Ultra quick Brembo pit stop​

Brembo's job in Formula 1 does not end with the delivery of the various components. During the GP weekends, Brembo engineers provide the teams with assistance, usually on the track, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they often work from the Remote Garage, located in Curno, Italy. The engineers follow the sessions live and analyze the data.

The useful life of a Brembo Formula 1 caliper does not exceed 10,000 km (6,214 mi), but after every race and test session, the caliper goes back to the factory. Specialized workers disassemble it and replace the parts subject to wear, such as, for example, the rubber parts, with new components. All in just a few days. On average, each team uses 10-15 sets of calipers, 150-200 discs and up to 600 pads. ​

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Seventeen seconds less than MotoGP​

Just like the MotoGP bikes, the single-seaters also use the brakes on seven of the 10 corners. However, on four of these, the braking distance is lower than 75 meters (246 feet), a distance that the bikes need to drop about fifty km/h (31 mph). The gap widens when deceleration is more intense, like on turns 1, 3 and 4: a maximum of 141 meters (463 feet) for the Formula 1 cars and over one hundred meters (328 feet) more for the bikes.

This results in completely different braking times. On one lap, the Formula 1 brakes are actively used for 10 seconds, as compared to 27 seconds on the MotoGP bikes, partly due to three braking sections for the bikes that last over four seconds each. The deceleration to which the drivers and riders are subjected is also decidedly different: a maximum value of 1.5 g (0.05 oz) for the bikes as compared to spots of over 5 g (0.18 oz) for the Formula 1 cars. ​

A drop of 220 km/h (137 mph) in 141 meters (463 feet) ​​

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

The braking section that demands the longest distance is the one on turn four, because the single-seaters have 141 meters (463 feet) to slow down from 342 km/h (212.5 mph) to 122 km/h (75.8 mph). To do this, they need 2.57 seconds - half as much as the riders - during which they exert a load of 173 kg (388 lbs.) and undergo a deceleration of 5.2 g (0.19 oz). ​