Ferrari aerodynamics chief Enrico Cardile has revealed that Red Bull has brought “new technology” to its brake calipers in F1 2023, which could potentially match the weight of the RB19.
The most recent Formula 1 season was marked by the record-breaking dominance of the Red Bull team, which took a remarkable 21 Grand Prix victories out of 22 imaginable.
Ferrari deserved the honour of being the team that denied them this unbeaten season, with Carlos Sainz taking the chequered flag in Singapore, but overall it was a crusade in which the festival fought to put an end to the mixing of Max Verstappen and the Red Bull RB19.
Mercedes and Ferrari are set to return to the drawing board of their 2024 F1 rivals as they search for answers to end Red Bull’s dominance.
And one area they want to take a look at is brake calipers, and Cardile suspects that innovation in this area has allowed Red Bull to support the weight of this component.
Suggesting via Auto Motor und Sport that some groups had made their calipers smaller while Ferrari had taken a more conservative approach, Cardile replied: “I don’t think the other groups have smaller calipers.
“It’s an open-source component. If a team adjusts something, they want to share the CAD design plans with everyone. We can see them.
“Of course, we also examined the photos. As far as I can see, the length of the brake calipers is almost the same on all teams.
“Red Bull has introduced a new technology this year that differs from what Mercedes and we have been using for several years. It may be that these new calipers bring a weight advantage. You have to look at that.
“But whether a room is bigger or smaller by a millimeter doesn’t matter. “
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It is accepted that this generation of F1 cars, depending on the aerodynamics of ground effect, creates greater difficulties when it comes to controlling the set-up.
It could be argued based on that theory that it is no longer possible to create a car that is strong in all areas, though Cardile argues that the Red Bull RB19 served to bust that idea.
“Red Bull is the example that there is such a thing as an off-roader,” he said. “You just have to work hard and have the right goals. “
Ferrari will head into F1 2024 battle looking to end their extended run without F1 title glory, having not tasted success since winning the 2008 Constructors’ title.
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