DETROIT, Mich.–New York will be the home of the ABB FIA Formula E season finale with a doubleheader to run July 13-14 through the streets of Brooklyn, New York.
With the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty, the 2.373 km Brooklyn street circuit has 14 turns and some of the longest straights of the season, which make it one of the toughest for the drivers. Given its features, the New York E-Prix is also one of the most demanding for the single-seaters brakes.
Brembo, a global leader in braking systems and unique supplier of the Formula E brakes through Spark Racing Technology, expects the track to be an important test bench and sees six corners particularly challenging for the drivers. The first severe section is in Turn 1, where the brakes will be under pressure slowing down the cars after the front straight. Here the drivers could take advantage of the wide space for an overtaking. After the following series of turns, the Gen-2 single-seaters will speed into the longest straight of the circuit reaching maximum velocity.
At the end, control going into the Turn 6 will be key, arriving too fast means the drivers will have to sacrifice speed in Turn 7 and consequently lose ground entering into the straight coming next. Watch out also for the hairpin Turn 10, one of the tightest of the season and a possible scene for some tough racing action.
The brakes will be already overheated due to the effort in Turn 9 and their soaring temperatures could make the carbon discs glow. Lastly, another 90 degrees corner in Turn 11, not to be underestimated, an excellent feeling with the brakes will make the difference to prepare the following chicane and close the last sector successfully.
The Brembo Formula E Braking System
All the Formula E single-seaters are equipped with the same complete Brembo bespoke braking system, calipers, carbon discs and pads, bells and tandem pump. The discs are carbon, specifically designed for the needs of full electric cars.
Front: Thickness of 24 mm, diameter 278×24 mm, ventilated disk with 70 holes (diameter of single hole of 6.2 mm); Rear: Thickness of 20 mm, diameter 263×20 mm, ventilated disk with 90 holes (diameter of the single hole of 4.2 mm).
The monoblock machined 4-piston caliper is made of an oxidized aluminum alloy and weighs less than 1 kg at the rear (with pistons diameter of 26-28 mm) and about 1.2 kg at the front (with pistons diameter 30-36 mm). The design of the caliper has been pushed to the limit: it has been considerably lightened in the less stressed areas in order to maximize weight reduction without compromising its stiffness.
This has led to a dynamic and sporty aesthetic identity, in line with the features of the cars that equips. The pads are carbon made: the front ones are 18 mm thick, while the rear ones are 16 mm. The bell is made of aluminum with bobbin mounting. The system is completed by the tandem master cylinder. In terms of temperatures, the data measured at the very beginning of the braking action have shown that the discs can reach temperatures of 400-500 degrees, with peaks of 800 degrees in the most-rough situations.
Brembo Formula E brakes have been developed considering the main challenge represented by the design of competition braking systems: by their very nature they must always represent the best possible balance between performance, safety, lightweight, durability, constant efficiency and low costs.
