Why engine braking proves key in Lewis Hamilton’s adaptation to Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton continues his adaptation process to a Ferrari that he still struggles to interpret like Charles Leclerc does. The Briton commented that he had switched to a new car which required a different driving style and different settings. There are many differences between the Red cars and the Silver Arrows, including braking, which is an area where the British driver has built much of his Formula 1 success over the years. Not only do the Maranello cars have a different braking system from Mercedes, but they also rely more on engine braking to aid corner entry, requiring an appropriate driving style.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is experiencing all the challenges of driving for a team different from the one he raced with for 12 years. Lewis Hamilton is learning all the differences between Ferrari and Mercedes, noticeable in many areas, namely from suspension behavior to balance, from engine vibrations to power unit delivery. However, there is one crucial aspect limiting one of his greatest strengths: braking.

Lewis Hamilton told SkySport F1 that he was using engine braking, which he had never used before, and that the brakes were also very different. He explained that Ferrari used Brembo, whereas for the past 15 years he had used Carbone Industrie. The comment is not meant as a criticism of the Italian company, whose products are highly regarded on the grid and chosen by most teams. It is not a matter of better or worse quality, but simply habit with a system used for many years that behaved differently. Part of Lewis Hamilton’s difficulties also doesn’t stem from the discs or calipers, but from something else: engine braking.

At this point, let’s take a look at how a Formula 1 car brakes. Every single-seater uses a hydraulic system to operate the front brake discs, which is also present at the rear, where the situation is more complex. A Formula 1 car uses three different braking contributions on the rear wheels, one of which is the hydraulic system controlling the discs. The second is the regenerative braking from the MGU-K, the electric generator that recharges the battery during braking, generating braking force in the process. The last is engine braking, caused by internal friction in the internal combustion engine which slows down its rotation when the throttle is released and fuel injection stops.

The system that coordinates these three contributions is BBW, which is short for Brake By Wire. When the driver presses the brake, an electronic sensor registers the pedal input. At that point, the control unit fulfills the request: an actuator generates pressure in the rear hydraulic circuit, compensating its force with that of the engine braking and regenerative braking, in order to precisely match the driver’s input.

Balancing the braking forces across the four wheels is very important to help rotate the car into a corner. The best-known adjustment is brake bias, which defines the balance between the forces applied by the front and rear brakes. Another control is brake migration, which during corner entry progressively shifts the brake bias toward the rear. This way, the front tires apply less longitudinal force, gaining more lateral grip to steer. In turn, how the braking force is split at the rear among the hydraulic system, MGU-K, and engine braking further influences the car’s behavior.

So let’s take a look at the importance of engine braking. Unlike the hydraulic system that acts on the carbon discs, the MGU-K and engine braking directly slow the driveshaft. The differential then distributes the braking torque between the inner and outer rear wheels, albeit slightly asymmetrically. This small asymmetry, if well utilized, can help the car rotate toward the apex. Imagine a boat where the rowers on the right side paddle in the opposite direction of those on the left—the canoe would spin on itself. Similarly, an excavator steers by having its tracks push in opposite directions. The principle is similar in a Formula 1 car, with the difference that the rear wheels don’t brake in opposite directions, but simply with slightly different intensities.

Therefore, the more force exerted by the MGU-K and engine braking, the greater the oversteer or understeer effect at corner entry, depending also on the differential settings. It is unclear whether Lewis Hamilton was referring to both contributions or specifically to that from the internal combustion engine. The latter, in fact, is independent of brake pedal input and disappears only when the driver gets back on the throttle. It can therefore be an additional tool in the moments just before the apex, braking the rear wheels to help the car rotate.

Engine braking is not exclusive to Ferrari, but is present on all cars, with the Maranello team evidently using it more aggressively than Mercedes. Just two years ago, there was talk of Red Bull’s “handbrake,” a mysterious setting suggested via radio to Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, which has never been fully explained and perhaps is still in use. The theory was that it involved a particular combination of brake migration, MGU-K, and engine braking parameters to decisively slow the rear wheels—an approach resembling, in a milder form, the technique rally drivers use when they pull the handbrake lever to tackle a hairpin.

Engine braking remains a central tool in modern Formula 1, with dedicated knobs on the steering wheel to adjust its intensity. To make the most of it, however, requires proper driving technique. For example, how quickly a driver downshifts determines the engine revs during braking, which affect internal friction and the braking contribution. Additionally, engine braking destabilizes the car’s rear axis to help rotate it, potentially depriving the driver of the confidence needed to dive into the corner—especially if not used to it. It is yet another challenge for Lewis Hamilton, who at 40 must adapt his driving style to remain one of the best brakers on the grid.