Ferrari 126C
Mid-engine, longitudinally-mounted | |||||||||||
Transmission | Ferrari 6-speed longitudinal or transverse Ferrari gearbox manual | ||||||||||
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Power | 560–680 hp (417.6–507.1 kW) @ 11,500 rpm[1] | ||||||||||
Fuel | Agip | ||||||||||
Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||||
Notable entrants | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | ||||||||||
Notable drivers | 27. Gilles Villeneuve 27. Patrick Tambay 27. Michele Alboreto 28. Didier Pironi 28. Mario Andretti 28. René Arnoux | ||||||||||
Debut | 1981 United States Grand Prix West (CK) 1982 South African Grand Prix (C2) 1983 Brazilian Grand Prix (C2B) 1983 British Grand Prix (C3) 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix (C4) | ||||||||||
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Constructors' Championships | 2 (1982, 1983) | ||||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. |
The Ferrari 126C is the car with which
Development and race history
126C (1981): Comprex vs Turbo
The Ferrari 126C was designed to replace the highly successful but obsolete
Enzo Ferrari had hired Nicola Materazzi in December 1979 to work with Forghieri and Tomaini and specifically for his experience with the turbocharging in the Lancia Stratos Gr 5 Silhouette cars. He would bring technical know-how in the team to match the knowledge that Renault had built over time. Materazzi thus saw the advantages of the comprex system but also its difficulties and prepared also a second iteration with two smaller Comprex systems driven by hydraulic clutch instead of a belt but this was not used since the turbocharger was deemed simpler and worth pursuing. Hence Materazzi proceeded to perfect the following iterations of powertrain to obtain increased power and reliability.[5][6]
The 126CK was first tested during the
According to Villeneuve's teammate
126C2 (1982)
The arrival of Harvey Postlethwaite led to a total overhaul of the car in time for the 1982 season. The turbo engine was further developed and reliability found, while an all-new chassis and bodywork were designed, featuring Ferrari's first genuine full monocoque chassis with honeycomb aluminum panels for the structure, which made it more similar to its British specialist competitors' cars than any of Ferrari's previous F1 cars had been since 1962. Smaller, nimbler and with vastly improved aerodynamics, the 126C2 handled far better than its predecessor, although due to its heavier weight thanks to the turbo-charged engine made it slower around corners than its rivals. Villeneuve and Pironi posted record times in testing with the new car and began the season with several solid results, even though Pironi had a gigantic accident during testing at the Paul Ricard circuit, of which he was lucky to escape alive. The car made its debut at South Africa in January of that year, where both cars retired and at the Long Beach Grand Prix in America 2+1⁄2 months later, the car was fitted with an unusual configuration of two thin rear wings, each individually as wide as the regulations allowed, but placed side-by-side and staggered fore and aft, making it effectively a single double-wide wing. This was done as a deliberate exploitation of rule loopholes in retaliation for Williams' "water-cooled brakes" exploit at the previous race in Brazil, and to send a political message to the governing body, which was part of the FISA–FOCA wars, which resulted in disqualification for Villeneuve, who finished the race in 3rd. Then came the infamous race at San Marino after which Villeneuve accused Pironi of having disobeyed team orders. The fallout from the race preceded Villeneuve's death in an horrific accident during qualifying at the next round in Belgium, which left Pironi as team leader. Ferrari did not enter a second car for the next three races, before ultimately drafting in Patrick Tambay to replace Villeneuve. He managed three podium finishes, including a win in Germany, en route to a fifth place in the championship despite only having driven half the season. Pironi himself was nearly killed in Germany in a similar accident as Villeneuve's, putting an end to his motor racing career. Again they did not enter a second car for two races, before bringing in Mario Andretti as Pironi's replacement. The American finished on the podium alongside his teammate in Ferrari's home race. Despite the turbulent season, Ferrari won the constructors' championship that year. The 126C2 was further developed during the season, with new wings and bodywork tried, and the engine's power boosted to 650 bhp (485 kW; 659 PS) in qualifying trim and around 600 bhp (447 kW; 608 PS) in races. An improved chassis was designed and developed mid-season that was introduced for the French Grand Prix that changed the rocker arm front suspension to a more streamlined pull-rod, rising rate suspension. A thinner longitudinal gearbox was also designed and developed to replace the transverse gearbox to promote better undisturbed airflow from the underside of the ground-effects chassis's side-pods.
126C2B (1983)
Mandatory flat bottoms for the cars were introduced for 1983, reducing ground effect, and a redesigned "B" spec. version of the 126C2 was introduced with this in mind. This car was built and raced for the first half of the 1983 season. Postlethwaite designed an oversized but effective rear wing that recovered around 50% of the lost downforce, whilst further compensation came from the engineers who boosted the power of the engine even further, to around 800 bhp (597 kW; 811 PS) in qualifying and over 650 bhp for racing, generally regarded as the best power figures produced in 1983.
126C3 (1983)
The 126C3 was first introduced for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1983, with Patrick Tambay, while Arnoux would get to drive a 126C3 at the subsequent race in Germany at Hockenheim, which he ended up winning. Postlethwaite kept the oversized rear wing of the 126C2B, and over the season, Frenchmen Patrick Tambay and René Arnoux scored four wins between them and were both in contention for the world championship throughout 1983, but late unreliability cost them both. However, Ferrari took the constructors' title for the second year in a row.
126C4 (1984)
In the
While the 126C4's engine was powerful at around 850 bhp (634 kW; 862 PS) in qualifying making it virtually the equal of the
The 126C series cars won 10 races, took 10 pole positions and scored 260.5 points.
Gallery
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126CK, pictured in 2008
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Didier Pironi (1952–1987) driving a 126C2 at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix
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126C2B at the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix
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Ferrari 126C3
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Michele Alboreto (1956–2001) driving a 126C4 at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix
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Ferrari 021 engine front Museo Ferrari
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | 126CK | Ferrari (t/c)
|
M | USW | BRA | ARG | SMR | BEL | MON | ESP | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | CAN | CPL | 34 | 5th | ||
Gilles Villeneuve | Ret | Ret | Ret | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | DSQ | |||||||
Didier Pironi | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5 | 8 | 4 | 15 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 9 | Ret | 5 | Ret | 9 | |||||||
1982 | 126C2 | Ferrari (t/c)
|
G | RSA | BRA | USW | SMR | BEL | MON | DET | CAN | NED | GBR | FRA | GER | AUT | SUI | ITA | CPL | 74 | 1st | |
Gilles Villeneuve | Ret | Ret | DSQ | 2 | DNS | |||||||||||||||||
Didier Pironi | 18 | 6 | Ret | 1 | DNS | 2 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | DNS | ||||||||||
Patrick Tambay | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | DNS | 2 | DNS | ||||||||||||||
Mario Andretti | 3 | Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||
1983 | 126C2B 126C3 |
Ferrari (t/c)
|
G | BRA | USW | FRA | SMR | MON | BEL | DET | CAN | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | EUR | RSA | 89 | 1st | ||
Patrick Tambay | 5 | Ret | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | Ret | 3 | 3 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 4 | Ret | Ret | |||||||
René Arnoux | 10 | 3 | 7 | 3 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | Ret | |||||||
1984 | 126C4 | Ferrari (t/c)
|
G | BRA | RSA | BEL | SMR | FRA | MON | CAN | DET | DAL | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | EUR | POR | 57.5 | 2nd | |
René Arnoux | Ret | Ret | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | Ret | 2 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 11 | Ret | 5 | 9 | ||||||
Michele Alboreto | Ret | 11 | 1 | Ret | Ret | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 2 | 2 | 4 |
References
- ^ "Engine Ferrari • STATS F1".
- ISBN 978-0760346082.
- OCLC 12418956.
- ^ Smit, Dylan (4 September 2018). "Under Pressure Ferrari 126CX". Drivetribe. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ Cironi, Davide. "Enzo Ferrari and the Turbo in F1". Drive Experience. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.
- ^ "Come nasce una F1 - Ferrari 126 C". Italia. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.