How Mercedes and Red Bull dealt with the ideas for F1 brake lines

Aerodynamic performance is a key factor in the design of most of the components of a Formula 1 car because of the significant performance advantages.

Such a consideration has not escaped the modern brake duct, which has been optimized to improve the performance of brakes and tires while at the same time influencing the aerodynamic caster profile of the tire.

The teams are aware that this lag can affect the aerodynamic performance at the rear of the car if not controlled.

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The advent of the brake drum, or “cake pan” as it is often affectionately known, came in the early 2000s and provided a thermal enclosure for the brake assembly so that the airflow would not be unduly affected by the rim.

As expected, the design was and is very different, with each team trying to achieve their own goals and dividing performance between temperature control and aerodynamic influence.

Satisfied that the temperatures were brought into a more controllable window, the designers began to take advantage of the further improvements made by the brake manufacturers.

This included drilled carbon discs and lightweight calipers, which have become more common over the years as both teams and manufacturers have worked together to get more performance.

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As a result of design and manufacturing improvements over the course of 10 years, the number of drill holes running through the center of the disc increased from 100 to 1200. Now there are over 1500 in total.

These holes help to dissipate the heat generated during braking, which is critical at operating temperatures of up to 1000 ° C.

The drill holes are easier to see at the exposed end of the disc, but they are also located on the inner end of the disc where they mate with the central bell.

This is another area where the teams and manufacturers have been working diligently to find more performance.

However, Mercedes goes a step further with a collection of diamond-shaped outlets that are recessed into the conical section of their brake bell to aid in cooling and aerodynamic throughput of the brake duct.

Brembo F1 caliper detail

Photo by: Brembo

The calipers themselves weigh around 2kg, much less than their street car equivalent.

But they also received the F1 treatment in terms of direct cooling. As you can see, the caliper has special cooling windows that are housed in the body to take in the airflow collected at the inlet and direct it there directly through the pipes installed in the brake line.

The position of the caliper is still a decision made by each team, with Red Bull placing their calipers in the 4-5 o’clock position while Mercedes prefers the more upright 3 o’clock position. Of course, this also has an impact on the route that the cooling lines have to take.

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You will also find that they both have a bypass tube to the top of the assembly that has no brake cooling purpose at all.

Instead, it provides a path for some of the airflow captured by the inlet to affect the turbulence that occurs when the wheel is mounted and the tire rotates.

This is apparently aided by the other airflow structures flowing out of the wheel surface, including that created by the crossover channel machined into the front of the drum, which allows the space between the drum and the wheel rim to be used Airflow.

While both teams have these, it’s clear to see that given the placement of their calipers and the need to interface with the other flow regimes to be created, they have different design profiles.

Red Bull also coats it with a reflective surface to reduce heat transfer from working the brakes inside.

As you can see, the window on the top of the RB16B’s drum is open in the picture above, showing the different options available to the teams depending on the track being visited and the heat dissipation required.

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When it comes to collecting the airflow, both Mercedes and Red Bull have a different thought process, as Red Bull started the season with a wider, ear-shaped inlet scoop that it recently angled.

Meanwhile, Mercedes has an elongated inlet scoop that has been reversed compared to the 2020 effort. It has a smaller side inlet that’s hidden between the winglets that are mounted in the lower half of the brake duct fence.

The overall cross-section is likely very similar, but it’s also worth noting about Mercedes that it also traps some of its airflow in the gap between the end fence and the tire’s sidewall.

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In the animation below we see how Ferrari created multiple airflow channels by stacking the brake drum elements on top of each other.

The first crossover channel undoubtedly absorbs some of the heat given off by the brakes and filters it through the wheel face, while the second part of the drum body has an open channel that allows air to flow to the rim as it rotates around the assembly.

This is collected on the outer circumference by a looped section of the drum that directs the airflow through the wheel face as the flow structures combine to reduce the turbulence created by the wheel and tire.