Key F1 supplier 'braking' ground as new challenge intensifies

Preparing for F1's new era, which started this season, was a massive task for Brembo, because braking has become more complex than ever before at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Now, it demands continuous action from the brake manufacturer, connected to all teams, who must simultaneously focus on 2027 whilst meeting the demands of this year.

During an exclusive interview with RacingNews365, Andrea Dellavedova, race engineer for the Italian brand, pointed out that changing the combustion-to-electric power ratio and the timing of the decision intensifies the challenge for Brembo as well.

"Yeah, because now we have done half a year, so we understand more, and we were focusing on some direction. As next year the energy ratio will change, what we learned this year will not be that useful for the new development," he begins.

"This year we already started to think about the 2027 braking system, but now we have to think newly about the system, and we cannot use all the info that we discovered this year for the next one."

As is well known, after lengthy and extensive consultations, the FIA confirmed in June that it will modify the ratio in two steps: it will change to 58:42 for 2027, and then shift to 60:40 for 2028.

"Being in a very fast environment, the more time we have to develop the new system, the better it is. If the communication would happen some weeks before… it's always easier, because we have to design and test the prototype, and then launch the production," Dellavedova adds.

"The time horizon is very short, because the teams need the components for early next year. It's something that takes time, both designing and producing our components. From the design to the production phase, it takes months; it's not something that you can do in weeks, because the process itself of producing the disc and the carbon material is very long, because they have to spend time in the oven, with several processes.

"Also, the calliper itself, they have to spend a lot of time on the machine. Then there is also the testing. Sometimes we do the testing and the production in parallel."

Brembo building on a strong foundation

The task is massive, but Brembo has a strong foundation to build upon: the brand's excellent engineers utilise state-of-the-art infrastructure.

The company's operational and administrative center is located in Kilometro Rosso, Bergamo's science and technology park, while they operate manufacturing and commercial facilities in 18 countries worldwide.

In terms of F1 and motorsport, Curno in Italy, located near the headquarters, is the key plant: this is where the racing technology is created.

"We have several dyno test benches that we use to test the new developments in terms of both materials, geometries and also dimensions of the braking system. They are running 24 hours per day, 6 days per week," says Dellavedova about the "witch's kitchen" in Curno.

According to the Italian engineer, keeping research, design, and development in-house and under one roof provides a major competitive advantage, even in the world of brake development.

"The performance is there with both offices and also the production and testing department," he continues.

"We are very close, so the designer can work on the laptop, design the new component and in a very fast way they just go to the first floor — the dyno test benches are there with the people working directly on the tests, so they have a very fast way of communicating, and also they can physically inspect the products that they are developing."

Although preparing for 2027 is a serious challenge for Brembo, Dellavedova looks to the future with confidence based on their current situation, available capacity, and experience.

He concludes: "In terms of timing, we are in line. In terms of performance, based on our experience, yes, because, of course, we are doing the best that we think will be the best for the next year."