The first half of the 2025 Formula 1 season has once again demonstrated how braking is one of the most crucial areas for gaining lap time. On several occasions, certain drivers have expressed dissatisfaction over team radio regarding the braking phase, often complaining of a lack of confidence or poor feeling under deceleration. However, according to Brembo, these complaints may be symptoms of a more complex issue that goes beyond the braking system alone. The Italian company, which supplies complete brake systems to half the F1 grid and calipers to all ten teams, continues to dominate the high-performance braking market in Formula 1.
A complex system
Speaking on the subject was Mario Almondo, Chief Operating Officer of Brembo Performance, during an appearance on the television program The Tech Formula. When asked about the meaning behind drivers’ radio messages related to braking, the Italian engineer offered a nuanced explanation:
“When a driver complains about the brakes, from the outside it’s easy to assume there’s a problem with the braking system itself. In reality, it’s not that simple or automatic. A Formula 1 car is an incredibly complex machine, and the brakes are just one component. To truly understand braking performance, we need to consider a much wider context that includes not only the brakes, but also the engine, regenerative braking, aerodynamics, suspension setup, the track layout, and many other elements. When complaints arise under braking, it often means these different systems are not interacting in the way the driver expects or needs.”
One relevant example is McLaren’s case. The Woking-based team uses braking components supplied by AP Racing, a subsidiary of Brembo that operates with a distinct technical identity. During the early races of the 2025 season, drivers — particularly Lando Norris — openly reported difficulties in pushing the MCL39 to its limits during braking phases. However, neither the drivers nor the team blamed the braking system itself. Instead, they highlighted a lack of feedback from the front end, with Norris specifically pointing to a vague steering feel under braking. As Team Principal Andrea Stella later clarified, the issue stemmed from the geometry of the front suspension, which the team modified from the Canadian Grand Prix onward to give drivers “a better sense of what the front tyres are doing as they approach locking.”
A shift in driving philosophy
According to Almondo, braking difficulties can also be tied to a driver’s adjustment to a completely new car concept, particularly after switching teams over the winter. “When a driver moves to a different team, they’re also adapting to an entirely new car philosophy — from its design to how it communicates feedback to the cockpit. This can be disorienting. It’s not simply a matter of calipers, discs, or brake pads. What matters is how the entire braking system works in harmony with other components and systems contributing to braking performance. All of these parts interact with one another, and that’s why even the same driver might report very different sensations when switching teams.”
Switching teams can be a challenge for any driver, especially when it involves adapting to a fundamentally different design philosophy and car behavior. Factors like chassis balance, vehicle dynamics, weight distribution, the speed of weight transfer, and aerodynamic characteristics — as well as how the power unit is used for deceleration — all influence braking performance. Lewis Hamilton himself explained earlier this year that he had to learn how to adapt to Ferrari’s more aggressive engine braking, which differs significantly from the one he was used to at Mercedes.
A matter of preference
The 2025 season has seen significant driver movement on the grid, with Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari, Carlos Sainz moving to Williams, Esteban Ocon transferring to Haas, and Nico Hülkenberg signing with Sauber. Almondo continued: “If a top-tier driver moved from Ferrari to Mercedes, they might struggle during the first ten races because everything would feel different. Even if the team perfectly understood what the driver wanted, translating that into technical changes is never quick or straightforward — and it all assumes the driver’s feedback is correctly interpreted in the first place. Interpreting a driver’s sensations and converting them into concrete technical interventions is extremely difficult.”
This helps explain why drivers from the same team might give very different feedback under the same conditions. “Confidence under braking is absolutely critical, but it’s also one of the hardest things to quantify,” Almondo noted. “What gives one driver confidence could be completely different from what another prefers. That’s why, even with identical hardware, one driver might be complaining over the radio about not being able to brake properly, while their teammate remains silent and satisfied.”
Once again, the subject of braking highlights the deep technical complexity of Formula 1. Behind every issue lies a vast and interconnected system, where simple explanations rarely tell the full story to those watching from the outside.
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