How Formula 1 teams coped with Canadian Grand Prix brake demands
The Canadian Grand Prix is one of the toughest of the Formula 1 season for brakes with almost one quarter of the Montreal circuit spent slowing the cars down
F1 brake supplier Brembo classifies Turns 6, 8, 10 and 13 as "hard" braking events, with Turn 13 posing one of the biggest decelerations with cars slowing from 199mph to 93mph in around 50 metres.
Every year, as teams push ever closer to the cooling limits, the challenge for engineers gets increasingly hard.
Extra difficulty comes from the fact that in recent years the brake duct and drum designs have become increasingly more complex, as teams try to balance the needs of brake cooling with closed channel effects that improve aerodynamic performance.
Here we look at top teams' different approaches to the 2018 Canada weekend.
This year Ferrari continued the recent trend of using some of the brake duct's design to power a blown axle, improving the aerodynamic footprint around the wheel rim and tyre.
But this doesn't compromise brake cooling, with the designers carefully sending cooled airflow to the brake discs and calipers.
The brake drum also features numerous apertures from which heat being generated by the brakes can be released.
All of this hot air is carefully placed in order to maximise how the heat is rejected in order that it also interacts with the wheel rim and consequently the tyre in the most effective manner too.
Mercedes had a more tame solution in comparison, disregarding the blown axle and instead focusing its efforts on minimising the brake duct's aerodynamic footprint. As the above image shows, its design features a much smaller inlet scoop.
Like Ferrari, the Mercedes concept rejects heat generated under braking through windows in the brake drum but for Canada it reduced the number of openings compared to Monaco.
Each team comes up with its own solutions based on individual requirements and the prevailing conditions, which often leads to teams trialling various solutions during free practice sessions to see what suits each driver's needs.
As we can see in this example of Renault's front brake assembly, the team's decision is driven by both mechanical and aerodynamic decisions.
The open basket arrangement on the left allows more heat to escape through the wheel face, whereas the solution on the right controls how that airflow escapes and is transmitted to the tyre via the wheel rim.
Formula 1 teams get new guidelines for 2019 aero rules changes
Would a tyre war solve F1's overtaking crisis?
Why it's Red Bull that really leads a three-way fight so far at Silverstone
After a slow start to Friday at Silverstone, all the Formula 1 teams had to effectively cram in a day’s worth of practice into one hour. But there was still plenty to learn and while Ferrari topped the times, a three-way battle is brewing ahead of the British Grand Prix
Why the future is bright for the British GP
It wasn’t so long ago the situation looked bleak at Silverstone with the future of the British Grand Prix under threat. But a transformation has seen it restored to one of the most important races on the Formula 1 calendar, with bigger and better to come
Could mixed fortunes for F1's leading Brits turn around at Silverstone?
For the first time in many years, none of the local racers starts among the favourites for the British Grand Prix. But George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris could have reasons for optimism
Verstappen exclusive: Why F1’s champion isn’t fazed by Silverstone return
Max Verstappen is the world’s number one racing driver… and he’s determined to keep it that way. Speaking exclusively to GP Racing's OLEG KARPOV, the Red Bull driver explains why he’s relishing the 2022 championship battle with Charles Leclerc – and why he’s not worried about returning to Silverstone, the scene of the biggest accident of his career last year
Why Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar can help its F1 team
On Tuesday, Red Bull laid out its plans to develop and build a new hypercar - the RB17 - penned by Adrian Newey. As the project itself sates Newey as a creative outlet, it also offers Red Bull's Formula 1 team a number of new and exciting avenues to pursue
What to expect from Mercedes as F1 returns to Silverstone
OPINION: The British Grand Prix is a home event for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with their Mercedes team based just a few miles away too. But there’s another reason why the Silver Arrows squad is eager to arrive at Silverstone this weekend, which may help it fix its remaining problems with its 2022 Formula 1 challenger
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow