Brembo supplies brake calipers to all 11 Formula 1 teams in 2026, while providing complete braking systems to selected teams. The company says its role has been built over five decades in the championship through high-performance products and close collaboration with each customer.
Brembo F1 engineer Andrea Dellavedova told The Race that the company’s work goes beyond supplying components. Its engineers gather feedback and adapt designs to the needs of each team. As a result, braking systems differ substantially, particularly in how they cool the calipers and manage heat inside the wheel.
Those differences affect more than the caliper itself. Brembo says the discs and pads must also suit the caliper’s design and geometry. Each team’s car creates different requirements for controlling brake temperatures and performance.
Brembo has two engineers embedded with each team during every grand prix weekend. They help monitor brake temperatures and the energy dissipated by the discs, and work with teams to adjust operating conditions. The engineers also assist with problems that could affect safety, including potential leaks in the hydraulic system.
The company says it applies the same approach to every team, despite its long-running collaboration with Ferrari. Dellavedova said Brembo holds monthly meetings with Ferrari and does the same with other teams, including Audi and Mercedes. For newer teams such as Cadillac, it also draws on its experience to help develop braking systems.
Brembo’s relationship with F1 drivers has also shaped its history in the sport. Ayrton Senna favoured its brakes at Lotus and helped bring them to McLaren after moving there in 1988. Michael Schumacher used a special Brembo caliper at Benetton and wanted it at Ferrari; the design featured four pads and eight pistons.
That caliper concept has returned in Brembo’s 2026 range. The company says materials and manufacturing have changed since the late 1990s, with carbon discs now produced in-house, but the lightweight design principle remains. Brembo says reducing weight inside the wheel can benefit car dynamics.
Sources: The Race.