Late Braking News

Interlagos Turn 1 lower left (gpbrasil.photo)

Stop Press...

Their ability to slow down so fast is one of the most awe-
inspiring aspects of a F1 car's performance. Brembo, the brake
company supplying most of the teams, notes seven major braking
zones around a lap of Brasil's classic Interlagos track. The
first of these, from the end of the pit straight into Turn 1, is
one of the most 'violent braking events' of the season. Here,
having been flat out in 7th gear for 16 seconds, a car typically
slows down from about 318km/h to 108km/h in a distance of 116
meters - in a period of 2.22 seconds. Small wonder the massive
feat of losing 210km/h so quickly produces big numbers.
Deceleration Force: 5g - Pedal Load: 130kg - Braking Power:
2086kw - Disc Temperatures: 1000C. It also produces a mighty
memorable few seconds of spectacular sound and fury...

The first hint that an approaching car is not going to completely
ignore the fact that Turn 1 veers left quite sharply comes
breathtakingly late. When the brake pedal finally comes into
play the chassis squats down purposefully on its suspension,
shuddering and squirming as if trying to shake off the grip of a
terrible speed demon - the carbon fibre brake discs glow an
ever brighter orange/red as if about to burst into flame - Pirelli's
tortured rubber, threatened with meltdown by the huge retardation
effort, protests by boiling up thick puffs of acrid smoke.

So far during this interval - the car having travelled about 100
meters in split seconds - the engine has been shrieking
stratospherically at 18,000rpm. Now, as the final few meters are
consumed in the blink of an eye - and with the car turning left
into the downhill corner - the caterwauling engine note is
abruptly interrupted by backfiring canonblasts punctuating
astonishingly rapidfire downshifts - WHAPWHAPWHAPWHAP
- 4 gears in approximately that number of meters. Much mechanical
outrage is being expressed here and the shockingly loud temper tantrum
rips a hole in the smog-thickened Sao Paulo atmosphere. Stunned
bystanders reel under the full frontal assault on their senses - some
shake their heads in disbelief, some jump up and down, some are
tearful, all blink rapidly.