Brembo: the family firm from Bergamo that conquered Formula 1

History

The company was founded in 1961 in Paladina, near Bergamo, by Emilio Bombassei, his sons Sergio and Alberto, and his brother-in-law Italo Breda. It took its name from the Brembo river that flows through the region. As early as 1964 Brembo began producing brake discs for the automotive aftermarket, and by 1965 it had secured its first major contract, supplying brake discs to Alfa Romeo.

A defining moment in the brand's history came in 1975, when Enzo Ferrari chose Brembo brakes for his Formula 1 cars — marking the company's debut on the world's racing circuits. Since then Brembo has supplied brakes to numerous Formula 1 teams, including Ferrari, and is also present in MotoGP, where in 2025 it celebrated 50 years of racing involvement. The company's headquarters today sit in the Kilometro Rosso complex near Bergamo (since 2007), and Brembo employs more than 10,600 people in Italy along with branches in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US.

What Brembo makes

Brembo focuses almost exclusively on braking systems: discs, pads and calipers, for both road cars and motorsport (Formula 1, MotoGP). This narrow specialisation is one of the brand's distinguishing traits compared with more diversified automotive suppliers.

Buying Brembo parts

Brembo has spent more than sixty years doing essentially one thing — brakes — at the level demanded by Formula 1 and MotoGP. Buying discs, pads or calipers under this brand for a road car draws on experience gained in the most demanding motorsport conditions, which in practice translates into components with consistent performance and good thermal resistance, often priced comparably to other premium aftermarket brake brands.