MOGYORÓD, Hungary — The Formula 1 circus moves to Eastern Europe this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix which the engineers at Brembo attach a medium-level of stress on the race cars’ braking systems.
Specifically, the Italian braking-system and component producer places the Hungaroring at 3 on the 1-to-5 difficulty scale.
The twisting circuit and rare opportunities for overtaking, not to mention switchback corners more like a huge go-kart track, recall the Monte Carlo Grand Prix without the walls.
According to the Brembo engineers, getting a good place on the starting grid is absolutely vital. The lack of long straight sections is a major limit as regards brake cooling.
Hungaroring: almost like Monte Carlo
On each lap around the Hungaroring, Formula 1 drivers apply their brakes 11 times for a total of 14.19 seconds of braking per lap, equivalent to 19% of the duration of the Grand Prix. This is a high figure, yet the Monte Carlo grand prix – despite being one km shorter, involves 12 braking moments during the race, equivalent to 25% of the duration of this event!
The 11 braking points during the Hungarian GP are characteristically very different, especially as regards deceleration – which through four corners exceeds 4.5 g.
Four more corners range between 3 and 4 g, while others are just below 2.8 g.
Unusually, brakes have to be applied in four-consecutive corners (11 to 14) even though none allow braking distances of more than 90 meters. From start to finish, every driver applies an overall braking pressure of 81 tons – a figure only less than those for the Monte Carlo and Singapore grand prix.
4.8 g on the first corner
Of the 11 braking sections at the Hungarian GP, four are classified as highly demanding, two are medium intensity and the remaining five are light intensity.
The hardest on the brake system is the first corner: to drop from 317 km/h (198.8 mph) to 95 km/h (59 mph), drivers have to brake for 2.7 seconds with a load of 151 kg (313 lb) on the brake pedal during which they are subjected to 4.8 g deceleration. In that length of time, the single seaters travel 120 meters (387 feet).
