10/06/2004
NEWS STORY
As speeds get ever faster - most lap times are around 3-4 seconds faster than in 2003 - there is increasing concern regarding safety, though up until now not too much consideration was given to brakes.
Ahead of this weekend's Canadian GP in Montreal, a circuit, like Monza, that puts tremendous strain on brakes, McLaren technical director Adrian Newey has expressed his concern that braking performance is heading into the 'red zone'
"We're pulling such high loads under braking now that we're have had problems with discs cracking," he told Autosport magazine, "and that's really a concern throughout the industry.
"We had a disc failure in Bahrain," he continued, "and I know other teams have had disc failures, although not necessarily at race meetings.
"The grip of the tyres and the downforce we now have means the loads on the brakes are enormous. Being limited to a 28mm disc and 13-inch rim is making it all quite marginal and it is starting to become a safety concern."