All the secrets behind Brembo’s Formula E brakes

Brembo, a global leader in braking systems, will be a protagonist of the upcoming Berlin FIA Formula E-Prix as the sole supplier of the entire braking system, including carbon discs and pads, to Spark Racing Technology (SRT), the exclusive supplier of the chassis for the Championship’s Seasons 5 (2018/19), 6 (2019/2020) and 7 (2020/2021).

Brembo has seen in the FIA Formula E a valuable mobile laboratory to study, test and develop technology applied to the electric car, which is the real challenge for the future - if not already for the present - of the automotive sector.

An absolutely new and stimulating challenge for Brembo, which entered in the Championship following the introduction of the new generation of single-seaters, the Gen2: much more powerful and performing than those that have raced in the previous years. This is why Brembo developed a bespoke braking system, tailored for the full electric category.

All the single-seaters of the Series are equipped with the same complete Brembo braking system: discs, calipers, pads, bells and tandem pump.

As early as season 5, the individual teams have been able to independently develop the Brake-by-Wire and their respective usage strategies, but as of season 6 synergies dedicated to BBW could be developed between the individual teams and Brembo.

The discs are carbon made, specifically designed for the needs of full electric cars.

Front: Thickness of 24 mm, diameter 278x24 mm, ventilated disk with 70 holes (diameter of single hole of 6.2 mm);

Rear: Thickness of 20 mm, diameter 263x20 mm, ventilated disk with 90 holes (diameter of the single hole of 4.2 mm);

The monobloc machined 4-piston caliper is made of an oxidized aluminum alloy and weighs less than 1 kg at the rear (with piston diameter 26-28 mm) and about 1.2 kg at the front (with piston diameter 30 -36 mm).

The design of the new 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 in aluminum with bobbin mounting. The pump is a single stage tandem (it is like having 2 pumps in 1).

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 has 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.