Ferrari: Räikkönen, struggling with brakes, doesn’t panic
Kimi Räikkönen did not have an easy weekend in Melbourne, but he believes that once the issues are resolved - particularly with the brakes - everything will get better; and that could happen quickly.
In difficulty during the Australian Grand Prix weekend, Kimi Räikkönen, who finished 7th in the race, felt he encountered particular difficulties with braking, due to the new brake-by-wire system: « We have identified some general problems that we need to tackle head-on in Maranello, and there are other aspects related to the setup of my car that have to do with the brake-by-wire ».
The “brake-by-wire” system, literally “braking by electronic controls,” was introduced this season to compensate for the effects of increased energy recovery during the braking phase. This energy collection—stored in a battery and used by the MGU-K to provide more power to the engine block—has doubled compared to 2013, resulting in a greater reverse torque on the rear axle. However, there would be risks to braking balance and the stability of the car if the driver were to make the adjustments regarding energy recovery during braking themselves.
Thus, this electronic system allows for better control and management of the balance during braking between the front, operated by a hydraulic system—as in previous years—and the rear, whose braking is calculated electronically by combining both the calculation of the pressure applied by the driver on the brake pedal and the necessary energy recovery level, and thus the reverse torque. The driver can still adjust the balance between front and rear as they wish, but the system automatically calculates the necessary level of braking at the rear, taking into account the energy recovery achieved.
Kimi Räikkönen explains on Ferrari’s official website that properly setting up such a device is essential: « Having this device working correctly really contributes to the overall feeling with the car because it has a big effect on corner entry. » The Finn seemed to particularly struggle during braking phases in the first Grand Prix of the season.
Despite everything, he believes that significant progress has been made: That being said, the F14-T improved between Friday and Saturday, and not entering Q3 was not due to the car’s competitiveness. He remains calm: I have been in the game for a long time now, and I can say that this is definitely not the first time I’ve experienced a tough first weekend. I’m sure that if we work properly, the result can be much better as early as the next race in Malaysia.
