Formula 1 returns to Singapore, the track on the Marina Bay city track presents several pitfalls that the technicians had to carefully evaluate in preparation for the 17th round of the world championship. The Circus, in fact, has skipped the last two appearances in the East due to the effect of COVID, so the teams must rediscover the plant where they run at night with the ground-effect single-seaters.
For Brembo, the Singapore track is reported as the most selective for the braking system of the entire championship: the most striking figure is that the riders will spend almost a quarter of the lap time braking (22% against 21% of Monte Carlo).
Focus on the front brake sockets of the Red Bull RB18
Photo by: Uncredited
Among the 15 braking sections that characterize this circuit, 4 are particularly demanding and the fast pace (as evidenced by the average hourly lap around 190 km / h) and the lack of adequate space for cooling (the longest straight is only 832 meters) make it one of the hardest due to the wear of the friction material (discs and pads).
The technical challenge between Red Bull and Ferrari is also played out on this specific terrain, an area in which the world champion team has devoted a lot of energy during the season, given that with the adoption of 18-inch wheels, instead of the traditional 13 inches, the approach inside the corner has completely changed.
Thanks to the larger rims, the carbon discs have also grown in diameter, now measuring a maximum of 328 mm at the front, which is 50 mm more than last year. The FIA has mandated that the cooling holes must have a diameter of 3 mm, whereas previously there were no limits and holes in the pads have been banned.
The evolution of the front brake of the Red Bull RB18
Photo by: Uncredited
If we add to all this that the wheel covers on the outside of the wheels have been made mandatory to prohibit the exit of hot air and flows with aerodynamic purposes, it is easy to understand how the scenario regarding brakes has changed with the new regulations.
The approach of aerodynamic research in the corner has completely changed: until last year the technicians tried to transfer the heat of the brakes to the tires through the heating of the wheel, now the engineers work in the opposite direction, trying to isolate the temperature of the disc in the hope to find even a minimal aerodynamic effect in the carbon basket that surrounds the braking system.
Red Bull RB18: here is the carbon disc cover and the dark caliper for an anti-heat treatment
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
It should not have come as a surprise, therefore, to see new disc fairings appear on the RB18, which have been updated over the course of the season both in terms of shape and the use of insulating materials. The first phase was to make the system efficient at the expense of weight, in the second we witnessed a search for lightening with the adoption of composite covers instead of titanium ones.
In addition, Red Bull has also worked on chemical treatments: the Brembo front caliper is also available with a thermal coating recognizable by the darker color that favors better heat dispersion.
Singapore, therefore, becomes a fundamental test bed on the effectiveness of the developments made on braking systems: let’s get ready to discover further innovations designed specifically for this so selective track.
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