It all comes down to the performance of the braking systems of the single seaters in
Bahrain, one of the toughest circuits for brakes.
From April 6th to the 8th, the #bahrain International Circuit will host the 2nd round of the 2018 World #formula1 #racing Championship. Located in the Sakhir desert, the circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and its construction cost 150 million dollars, most of which was necessary to create the asphalt bed.
Thanks to the installation of an artificial lighting system, since 2014 the #bahrain GP has been disputed at night. Despite this, ground temperature during the last 3 editions has always ranged between 26 and 31 degrees. These values translate into a significant mechanical grip.
The presence of many high-energy impact brakings, what's more concentrated in the central area of the circuit, means high friction material wear. To adapt to the 2018 single seaters, which yield higher performances than the previous years, #brembo technicians have increased the number of holes of the carbon discs and have created new calipers.
For each team, #brembo constructed ad hoc braking system that ensure optimal integration with the aerodynamic and mechanical characteristics of the cars.
The Middle-Eastern circuit is an extremely tough test bench for all the #components of the braking system, as shown by the difficulty index assigned by #brembo technicians. On a scale of 1 to 10, the #bahrain International Circuit earns a 9, making it one of the most challenging on brakes. Only Montreal, Mexico City, Abu Dhabi and Singapore rank higher.
The demand on the brakes during the GP
In #bahrain the pilots use the brakes around 14 seconds a lap, meaning 16% of the race.
Compared to last year's edition, average deceleration has increased from 4.4 to 4.6 g due to an increase of braking torque.
From start to checkered flag, each pilot will use the brakes 450 times, exerting a total force on the pedal of approximately 48 tonnes. In other words, each pilot exerts a load of over 490 kg per minute.
The most demanding braking sections
Of the #bahrain International Circuit's 8 braking points, 4 are classified as crucial for brakes and the other 3 are of average difficulty. Deceleration in six of these braking points is at least 4.5 g.
The most difficult braking point is that of curve 1: the cars hit the area at 324 km/h and brake for 2,26 seconds in 61 meters to strongly decelerate to 82 km\h. The pilots exert a load of 118 kg on the pedal and are forced to withstand 5,1 g of deceleration, which equates to the value usually experienced by astronauts during their return to Earth.
Very close is the deceleration at the turn 14 (5g), but the peak speed before braking (297 km\h) and that at the entrance (126 km\h) are different: this means less braking time and space, 1,93 seconds and 45 meters.
Braking in bend 4 is an impressive feat: in only 46 meters, less than half the height of the highest mountain in #bahrain, the single seaters lose 175 km\h with a deceleration of 4,9 g.
Brembo performance
In #bahrain, the single seaters equipped with #brembo calipers have won 11 of the 13 editions disputed up to now, including the last 10. The most victorious #racing Team with #brembo brakes in Sakir is Ferrari with 5 wins. All 7 pilots that won the #bahrain GP have triumphed at least once with #brembo brakes.
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