How Mercedes has taken F1 brake design to the next level
Mercedes has made no secret of the fact that every element of its 2020 Formula 1 car has been improved for this year.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Giorgio Piola is the preeminent Formula 1 technical journalist. View our full selection of Giorgio's technical illustrative content
And while most of the attention has been dominated by its DAS system and a bold revamp of its sidepod concept, a deep dig into less obvious areas – like its brakes – highlights the attention to detail the team has put in.
The front brake disc bell is a component that usually divides teams into two camps: those looking for maximum stiffness (such as Ferrari) and those that focus their attention on maximum lightness, (such as Red Bull).
However, in the case of Mercedes, it has looked to F1's past for inspiration as its bell has a truncated cone shape that's full of holes. This not only offers the required stiffness with a reduction in weight, but also brings aero benefit too.
Since 2012, when Adrian Newey introduced a contentious solution on the RB8, teams have skewed their designs to take into account a secondary function: aerodynamics.
The blown axle devised by Red Bull, which took air from the brake inlet and ejected it through holes in the side of the stub axle, was discovered by Giorgio Piola at the second grand prix of the season.
Red Bull RB8 blown axle wheel detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
But, it wasn't until the Monaco GP, which Mark Webber went on to win, that the FIA decided to act.
Charlie Whiting considered the combination of the holes in the wheel and axle, allied to the rotation of the cone-shaped stub axle, to constitute a 'moveable aerodynamic device' and declared this and another borderline solution on the RB8 illegal, requiring the team to be compliant for the Canadian GP.
Williams FW35 front brake duct, captioned
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Teams were not content with filing this idea away in a drawer though, with Williams the first to find a legal way of emulating the concept the following season.
The FW35 featured a hollow and open ended stub axle with a fixed nozzle housed within. Fed airflow in a similar way to the banned Red Bull solution, but no longer rotating around the axle's axis, this version may not have had the same potency but still helped to clean up some of the turbulence created by the wheel and tyre.
Over the course of the next few seasons, many of the teams developed this solution to the point that when the FIA was devising the new regulations for 2019 it decided to outlaw them.
Interestingly, Mercedes never pursued the blown axle concept, instead using the tools available to it on the front wing to help manage this turbulence.
However, the regulation changes for 2019 also took away the majority of these tools, stripping away the aerodynamic furniture from the front wings and with it, Mercedes' reliance on them.
Mercedes, like its counterparts, has in the last few years found subtle ways of funnelling airflow through the brake duct in ways that are still considered a form of brake cooling, although they clearly err on the side of being aerodynamic devices.
Mercedes AMG F1 W11 brake flow
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The inner crossover pipe, seen here on the W11 (left) but also present on the W10, certainly constitutes as one of these devices, as its sole purpose is to spill airflow out of the wheel face. The pipework is also contorted in such a way that the nozzle falls close to the border created in the regulations to outlaw the blown axle.
The Technical Regulations state: (11.4.3) No air flow may pass through a circular section 105mm in diameter with its centre lying along the axis and its plane coinciding with the inboard face of the wheel fastener described in Article 12.8.2.
Of course this isn't the only duct that serves an aerodynamic purpose, with two others fashioned into the drum itself (right), one of which sits at the base of the drum, whilst the other is interwoven with the trench formed in the drum's surface.
Mercedes AMG F1 W11 brake disc comparsion
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Blown away
Having had great success with this solution in 2019 and having looked at ways it can enhance this further, we must also pay attention to the W11's brake bell, which has been modified extensively by the team for 2020.
The RB8's design could be considered a forefather here, with numerous holes cut very precisely into the bell's surface to create a robust aerodynamic effect that intensifies the flow of air through the assembly and out of the wheel face to influence the wake turbulence created by the wheel and tyre.
It's not yet clear whether the FIA has scrutinised this, considering the precedent set by the Red Bull solution but, suffice to say that Mercedes will justify the inclusion of these holes for weight saving purposes and that any aerodynamic function is simply a by-product of that.
Once again, this is an example of how consumed F1 teams become in the search of performance, as a component that might seem benign to most, is transformed into a clever aerodynamic solution. It also speaks volumes about Mercedes design methodologies too, as just with many other facets of the car it has left no stone unturned in its pursuit of perfection.
Photo gallery
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments