Brabham BT52 1983 Formula 1 Grand Prix Car Technical Overview
Channel: prelearn
Date: 2015-12-11

Brabham's Initial plan for 1983 was to use the BT 51: a ground effects pitstop car.

Then in Mid-November FISA banned ground effects. Cars had to have a flat bottom between the wheelbase. So came the BT52 to be.

BT52's Design decisions:
1. Pitstop car = Small tank (ca. 190 litres)
Car needed refuelling @ all races except slow speed street races as in Monaco

2. High rear weight bias

3. Minimal Sidepods

4. Simple and minimum weight

Monocoque
Aluminium lower half + CFC skuttle and fuel tank

Attached to monocoque:Machined magnesium casting designed to hold front suspension components.

Suspension
Double wishbone pushrod attached to magnesium casting, and can be replaced as a complete module

Types: Michelin

BT52 had an air jack system

Engine
BMW inline 4 cylinder @ 1500 cc
800 BHP in qualifying / 640 BHP in race

BMW engine mounted in a steel frame with a front plate, that gets fixed to the rear of the monocoque. Coolers also fixed to this frame, allowing rapid engine changes for Brabham.

Right side: Behr oil & water cooler
Left side: Behr air / air intercooler in front of one KKK turbocharger. 

Turbocharger's bearings were overheating during pitstops regardless how short.
Solution: have cooling air blown over the turbocharger from the air jack system.

Transmission
Brabham's own transmission with Hewland internals. The gearbox can have either 5 or 6 speeds.

Transmission designed for the ground effects BT51. It was very slim, had an external smooth surface and internal webbing for strength.

Transmission reliability enhanced  by Peter Weissmann

Aerodynamics
Delta shape pods at the rear gave aximum cooler surfaces facing the airstream and minimum lift

Bigger wings. Rear wing was non-adjustable, made out of one piece of carbon fibre and honeycomb layers. Side plates subsequently fixed to ends.

Bodywork was mounted on monocoque and engine.
At the front it had two blisters housing tsuspension pushrod rockers.

Key Race accounts:
Jacapargua
Cooling air exhausting from the water / oil coolers overheating the suspension components.
Problem solved by extra ducting. Piquet won race.

Longbeach
Brabham cannot make Michelins reach their working temperature.

Imola
Driver errors and broken valve for Piquet

Detroit
Nelson Piquet nearly won the US GP. Puncture at late stage stopped him.

Silverstone
BT52B debuted.
- Lighter monocoque bulkheads
- More carbon fibre integrated in moncoque
- Revised Bodywork
- Reduced front suspension blisters
- Shorter nose
- Underbody changes

Zandvoort
BMW engines equipped with a Brian Hart boost control valve. Better performance at the lower speed ranges.

Water sprayer to cool the air entering intercooler.

Piquet / Prost accident

Monza
Piquet won GP

Brands Hatch
"Ferrari" winglets used for extra downforce.
Piquet again won

Kayalami
Early pitstop strategy

Patrese won race, Piquet championship

Post BT52
In 1983, two radical concepts emerged: Brabham's BT52 and McLaren MP4/1C.

From 1984 everyone copied the MP4/1 rear end, even Brabham.