Why Brembo uses endurance racing as a test bench for brake development

“Ultimately, the more cooling holes, the lower the temperature of the disc,” Miller said. “You have mechanical wear between the disc and the pad, and 350˚ Celsius and below you have a lot of dust, which physically wears the disc. At higher temperature ranges, the dust between the pad and the disc creates friction. That results in less wear and less impact.”

The shift to technology

While manufacturing is the visible side of the brakes process, CEO Daniele Schillaci emphasizes the role of technology. In the last three years alone, Brembo has hired more than 100 software engineers in Italy, China, India, and the US (some in Silicon Valley).

“The automotive business is in a very deep transformation phase with new technology, software, AI, and electrification,” Schillaci said. “Until a couple of years ago, Brembo was a very nice company building cast iron discs, aluminum calipers, and carbon ceramic for racing. But when it came to software, Brembo wasn’t top of mind.”

Cast iron discs are cooled a bit differently.

Brembo

Cast iron discs are cooled a bit differently.

Brembo

Porsche’s “big red” brakes are from Brembo.

Brembo

Porsche’s “big red” brakes are from Brembo.

Brembo

The little fins are for cooling.

Brembo

The little fins are for cooling.

Brembo

Porsche’s “big red” brakes are from Brembo.

Brembo

The little fins are for cooling.

Brembo

That’s changing, as the manufacturer has poured money and resources into its newest offering, a software-controlled product called Sensify. Billed as the first fluid-free braking system that continuously controls and supervises each wheel’s braking, Sensify integrates software and mechatronics, combining mechanical, electrical, computer, and robotics engineering with code.

Brembo sees Sensify as a significant breakthrough that represents a new standard in the automotive industry, and the company built the software and AI in-house. While some outlets are describing it as brake-by-wire technology, which debuted more than 20 years ago, Schillaci says it goes way beyond that.

“Sensify is more than brake-by-wire,” Schillaci said. “Brembo has been collecting data from its test benches for many years. With this data, combined with our internally built algorithm, Brembo has increased its ability to read the data and understand the impulse in the braking system at each corner. The car will stay stable, without vibration, even in emergency braking situations.”

As racing evolves, parts manufacturers will have to as well. Brembo, like the rest of the industry, aims to stay on top of the shift and use the latest tools to remain successful.