Mercedes: The Brembo brake disc failure is “unacceptable”
After Lewis Hamilton's off-track excursion during the German Grand Prix qualifying, caused by a brake disc failure, Niki Lauda strongly criticized Brembo.
Following Lewis Hamilton’s accident during the qualifiers, Mercedes – through Niki Lauda – did not hesitate to criticize Brembo, the supplier of the British driver’s brake discs, whose failure was the cause of his off-track incident.
Interviewed by the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, the non-executive director of Mercedes did not mince his words: « Brembo promised to strengthen their material but it happened again, it’s unacceptable. We are not going to use these brakes in the race. »
From the Barcelona tests – after the Spanish Grand Prix – Mercedes reportedly suffered an issue with a brake disc manufactured by Brembo. Other teams supplied by the Italian brand allegedly faced some difficulties as well, most notably Toro Rosso, Sauber, Marussia, and Caterham. Ferrari, on the other hand, reportedly had no issues, but the Scuderia was using a stock of brakes from the 2013 season.
Mercedes has therefore already decided to switch brake discs to those supplied by Carbone Industrie, which currently equips Nico Rosberg. Toto Wolff, the executive director of Mercedes AMG F1, explains: « It is impossible to determine, in such a short time, why the disc broke. This product is a bit more aggressive, but it’s not an explanation or an excuse when something like this happens. »
