A braking apparatus for a vehicle including a wheel suspension part attached to a body of the vehicle and a wheel hub attached to the wheel suspension part. An attached air-cooled brake disk rotates relative to the wheel suspension part. A protective cover arranged on a side of the brake disk that at least partially covers the brake disk. The protective cover fastened in a stationary manner to the wheel suspension part. The protective cover including an air flow opening feeding cooling air to the brake disk. An airflow control mechanism opens and closes the air flow opening along with reducing and increasing a gap between a radial end side of the brake disk and an inner side of a wheel rim of a vehicle wheel.