Brembo on Brake Challenges at Hungarian Race

MOGYORÓD, Hungary – Brembo posted the following article on its website relating the challenges of preparing brake systems for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix (July 31^st) and street vehicles:

BREMBO FINNED BRAKE PADS FOR GPS AND STREET-LEGAL CARS AND THE SECRETS OF BRAKING AT THE HUNGARORING

The last appointment before the summer break is the Hungarian GP which will be held at the Hungaroring for the 37th year running. According to Brembo engineers, it is 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 windiness of the track makes it seem like a big go-kart circuit; this affects the average lap speed which is below 205 km/h (127 mph) throughout the race but can increase to 214 km/h (132 mph) during the qualifying rounds. The lack of straight sections, with the exception of the main one which is in any case just over 900 meters (984 yards) long, stops the brakes from cooling down but at the same time, it has very few hard braking points.

Fins even on the pads

The extensive experience Brembo has acquired in Formula 1, where it made its début on 1975 with a small supply of cast iron discs for the Ferrari team, has allowed it to prepare a range of solutions for the calipers that contribute to the heat dissipation of the entire braking system.

One of these solutions is Brembo pads with ventilation holes, something that is anything but simple to achieve because of their small dimensions and the materials the pads are made of, i.e.carbon fiber.

Thanks to these holes, air circulation is improved and this staves off the overheating of the pads and the calipers themselves. In 2022, the technical regulations ban these holes in the pads in order to limit the cost of the component, but the teams are already in search of cooling features that will improve this aspect without breaking any rules, such as fins or other processes to at least increase the exchange surface.

An endless range of brake pads for street-legal cars

On pads for street-legal cars, there is no reason to have fins, both because they do not reach the same temperatures as the F1 cars and due to the high cost. Thanks to the experience it has acquired in Formula 1 and its partnership with car manufacturers, Brembo is capable of producing over 100 different compounds for street-legal cars which guarantee maximum safety when braking.

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% of the cars in circulation in Europe.

To view the entire post, with additional images and graphs, click HERE.