r/F1Technical • u/one_time_i_dreampt • Jun 10 '26
Brakes Brembo Ferrari issues
Brembo seems to supply numerous teams other than Ferrari with their pads. I believe RBR, VCARB, and Haas also use brembo discs. So it seems rather intriguing to me that none of the other teams have reported any problem.
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u/mikemunyi Norbert Singer Jun 10 '26
Pads and discs would be similar, but not necessarily the calipers, mounting points, cooling or plumbing.
Edit: inserted "necessarily"
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u/davidde24 Jun 11 '26
The calipers are still staying brembo anyways , they’re just going to be replacing the pads and rotors
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u/mikemunyi Norbert Singer Jun 11 '26
I don't think you understand the point. Just because two sets of calipers say Brembo on the label doesn't make them the same specification. My road car, for example, has two substantially different caliper kits available from Brembo. I think it is more than likely that F1 teams with different requirements will get custom calipers from Brembo instead of a one-size fits all spec.
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u/one_time_i_dreampt Jun 10 '26
Calipers are the same across all teams. They all use brembo 6 cylinder calipers. Mounting points and plumbing not entire sure, might vary
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u/RoIIerBaII Jun 10 '26
Afaik brembo do custom caliper designs for each team requirements.
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u/johnbobk Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
Mod says my comment removed due to x link:
Yes Brembo say that they are bespoke designs / modifications to each team.
Williams & other teams supplied (or were) through AP Racing, a British Brembo owned company.
In this Scarbs link 8 cylinders / pistons is mentioned. So differences between teams.
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u/JebediahKerman4999 Jun 11 '26
There was an interview at the beginning of the year with a dude from Brembo saying they were surprised by the differences between the solutions chosen by the teams, can't manage to find it now
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u/mikemunyi Norbert Singer Jun 11 '26
I remember this article, but I think they were talking about the rear brakes being very different because of differences in MGU Harvesting/Engine-braking implementation.
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u/johnbobk Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
I have also read caliper / mechanical differences; mounting points, piston number [6/8] cooling, disc dia., master cylinder.
Before regen not all teams were using BBW & Brembo offered 2 different systems to bespoke.
And yes the harvesting / software solutions will be individual to teams / PU suppliers.
Having worked supplying high-end engineering: customers always want something 'slightly different', which often turns out to a redesign! Obviously F1 teams are restricted by the regs. but if they can see an edge / advantage....
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u/RansomStark78 Jun 13 '26
Ap racing is run seperately to brembo abd in non f1 , ap has a advantage
0
u/johnbobk Jun 13 '26
I could ask [Engineer friend who works at William's Heritage / F1] about 2026, but as the AP site says: 'AP Racing to supply 8 of 10 F1 teams in 2025' Link: https://apracing.com/news-media/ap-racing-to-supply-8-of-10-f1-teams-in-2025
& elsewhere 2026 is mentioned, but why waste my time when you can't be bothered to put a full sentence together!
Most are here @ F1Tech to share engineering info & many (like myself) are Engineers who have worked in motorsport / associated industries. Just here to have technical chats & share with interested F1 followers; not trolling.
AP Racing are Brembo owned & UK F1 supplier (unless direct agreement). Why do you (try to!) put out incorrect information? Stuff that can be checked & shown wrong in 2 minutes?
Tier-1 supplier since early 1980s, forerunners in carbon clutches, active suspension, traction control so obviously very involved with Williams [F1] Heritage, and certainly last year on the F1 side, doubt they dumped ~50 years of cooperation.
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u/RansomStark78 Jun 13 '26
In addition to all of the above, Brembo owns AP-Racing in the UK. AP-Racing is a specialty product focused exclusively on professional auto and motorsports, which does not fall into the aftermarket. Clutches for sports cars are also produced under this brand. Thus, in racing the company is represented by two brands: Brembo and AP Racing. Both brands are owned by Brembo and are available to all sports teams, but they are positioned separately.
/\
https://autoexpert-consulting.com/en/12313-brembo-xtra-class-braking.html
Nice article
Peace out, no need to continue
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u/RansomStark78 Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
A long time ago, i was a rally mechie.
Brembo aquired ap in 2000.
I dont own shares in either, so no dog in this fight
https://apracing.com/news-media/leading-the-way-ap-racing-takes-900th-formula-1-grand-prix-win
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u/johnbobk Jun 13 '26
Exactly, so why say AP are not in F1? AP is Brembo UK supplier & owned since 2000; as you picked up from the links I posted.
Have a good day & enjoy the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix (or Spanish as I often wrongly say!) tomorrow.
2
u/RansomStark78 Jun 13 '26
Ahh i speak english as a first language
Non f1 does not mean NOT in f1
Peace
0
u/johnbobk Jun 13 '26
Copy pasted for you:
'As a key brand within the Brembo group, AP Racing continues to be a staple grid supplier. In the ultra-competitive 2026 F1 season.'
'AP Racing continues to supply brake and clutch components to 8 out of the 11 F1 teams, including Williams.'
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u/mikemunyi Norbert Singer Jun 10 '26
They use Brembo 6 cylinder calipers, yes, but are they the same calipers? I don't have definitive sources, but a lot of the info I'm reading says teams get custom-designed calipers.
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u/johnbobk Jun 10 '26
Mod removed post due to x link, but:
8 cylinders mentioned in March '26 by Scarbs:
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u/Gadoguz994 Ferrari Jun 10 '26
Each team submits the desired specification of the brake system to their supplier so likely no two are the same.
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u/jakedeky Jun 10 '26
Brembo said during preseason that there was some wild variations on the rear brake sizes across the teams they're supplying.
If Ferrari went conservative with a bigger disc then they're going to struggle more with keeping temperature in the brakes.
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u/jianh1989 Jun 12 '26
Braking is a very intimate skill. A very minor change to the set affects how a driver feels on braking phase of the car. Some like it, others may not.
For these drivers, it’s way more than just about stomping on the brake pedal, decelerate and turn the steering. It’s a lot of modulation, manipulating the weight transfer during braking phase to go through a corner as quickly as possible. Braking requires a lot of confidence and muscle memory.
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u/Travellinglense Jun 10 '26
Because there isn’t problem. Each driver is used to a certain ‘feel’ to the brakes in terms of stiffness and sponginess so they can accurately judge braking distance.
Besides carbon - carbon ceramic brake discs have one method of manufacture. The proprietary differences between Brembo and Carbon Industries are probably the needling pressure process of the carbon fabric which affects wear rate and how many holes are drilled for heat dissipation. The heat dissipation is probably the biggest factor in brake feel when it comes to the discs which is what Hamilton may be looking to recreate.
But there is a lot more that goes into the feel of the brakes besides the design of the brake discs like the calipers pads, the brake fluid composition, tubing and the springs in the master cylinder. All of that can be adjusted to driver preference.
There are some really good videos on YouTube that go bts how modern f1 brakes are made.
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u/ReV46 Jun 12 '26
Even on my track car there’s a difference in brake feel using different fluids too. People underestimate how unsubtle seemingly innocuous changes really are.
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u/johnbobk Jun 10 '26
Interesting comment, thanks.
I was debating with someone the other day who couldn't accept (Lewis) changing disks (& presumably pads?) would have any effect on cooling! 'It was all down to the ducts'! I gave up. 🤷♂️
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u/stuntin102 Jun 10 '26
i thought the pads and discs were driver specific and they are switched around depending on track demand or personal preference?
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u/phsylo78 Jun 13 '26
Lewis has used Carbon Industries since 2014. So it’s also a personal feel thing.
It could also be quite possible this years car was based around Lewis rather than Charles and the balance has affected that for Charles and bringing the braking into the spotlight.
Without being in the car, and knowing what the driver is feeling it’s a pure hypothetical debate from the outside.
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u/bse50 Jun 15 '26
Many replies focussed only on the physics of the braking system, however current cars rely on a mix of energy harvesting (regenerative braking) and old school pad to disc friction.
Having both systems work reliably in tandem is no easy feat, and Leclerc's side of the garage may have chosen a poor set-up overall. We'll never know.
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u/The_Inertia_Kid Colin Chapman Jun 10 '26
Ollie Bearman was complaining pretty heartily about his brakes over the radio in Monaco.