Test days are always complicated to decipher, even for the teams themselves, as performance depends a lot on the fuel level and engine mapping used.
However, the debut of the Red Bull RB20 was certainly impressive, albeit toned down somewhat today by a rather good Ferrari SF-24, the only car to go below the 1:30 mark while using the C4 compound.
Test at Red Bull: there are Brembo discs on the RB20
The RB20 is a car that differs in many components from the project of the previous two years.
“It’s a small revolution rather than an evolution,” Helmut Marko has confirmed.
The most important innovations concern cooling, which has been completely redesigned to open up new areas of development in terms of bodywork in search of a further step forward in terms of aerodynamic efficiency.
The saying, revised for the occasion, “you can’t change a winning car,” does not apply to Adrian Newey, given the many new features present on the RB20. Also, on the subject of the braking system, this is even more surprising given the dominance of the previous two years.
In fact, as Formu1a.uno understands, Red Bull is testing Brembo brake discs during the three-day test in Bahrain with the aim of keeping them in the car for the entire season.
Brembo discs on the Red Bull RB20: Verstappen’s initial feedback is positive
This is an important technical innovation and would be a great coup for the Italian giant since the world-champion team purchased the friction material from Carbon Industries. This French company also equips the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
A different story, however, for the callipers, also supplied by Brembo in past seasons, which this winter set a precedent in their incredible complexity.
The first feedback regarding the new discs from Max Verstappen would seem rather positive. The Milton Keynes team is testing a disc with more holes compared to the specification used last season by Ferrari.
However, this is not a shock, given that greater braking torques are expected in 2024- necessitating more cooling.
Last season, however, a different compromise between cooling and resistance of the disc was found. This resulted in a decrease in the number of holes despite a certain increase in braking torques to ensure greater robustness of the disc.
Still, with the advancements we expect in terms of material, for this 2024 season, teams will be able to use discs with greater cooling to counteract major torques.
Author: Piergiuseppe Donadoni
Translation: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
