Ferrari 126C3

**Ferrari 126C3**
Constructor:	Scuderia Ferrari
Designer:	Harvey Postlethwaite
Predecessor:	Ferrari 126C2
Successor:	Ferrari 126C4
Technical specifications
Chassis:	Composite monocoque
Engine:	120 ° V6 turbo (1.5 liters)
Length:	4130 mm
Width:	2110 mm
Height:	1025 mm
Wheelbase:	2600 mm
Weight:	552 kg
Tires:	Goodyear
Petrol:	Agip
statistics
Driver:	Patrick Tambay René Arnoux;
First start:	Great Britain Grand Prix 1983
Last start:	1983 Grand Prix of South Africa
World Cup points:	89
Podiums:	6th
Leadership laps:	k. A. / tba

The Ferrari 126C3 was a Formula 1 racing car that Scuderia Ferrari used for the 1983 World Championship . The drivers were Patrick Tambay and René Arnoux . With this type, Ferrari managed to defend the title in the constructors' championship from last year .

background

For the 1983 season, new specifications were included in the Formula 1 regulations. One of the most important was the ban on the ground effect . The stipulations were now a defined, flat sub-floor, a minimum height of 6 cm from the floor, a deformable front structure in front of the pedals in the footwell and a reduction in the size of the rear wings. These new rules marked the final end for the Cosworth DFV 3-liter , since the exploitation of the "ground effect" was the only way that vehicles with conventional naturally aspirated engines could remain competitive.

In addition to a significant increase in the costs of developing the engines, which in turn were the key to competitiveness, the new regulations led to considerable (also optical) differences between the cars due to the various aerodynamic concepts. There were those teams who preferred to keep the design of the past few years with long and flat hulls ( Renault , Lotus , Alfa Romeo ), and those like Ferrari who chose "arrow cars" with low and very far back to build offset air inlets for the laterally arranged coolers (such as Tyrrell , Toleman or Brabham ).

development

The main designer of the 126C3 was Harvey Postlethwaite . For many development steps, the Ferrari technicians resorted to the Fiat Research Center in Orbassano and the Mirafiori Experimental Center, where wind tunnel tests were carried out on both 1: 1 models and on miniaturized test models. The 120 ° V6 engine with KKK turbochargers was a further development of the engine developed for the Ferrari 126CK from 1980 . Thanks to a water injection system in the cylinders that improved compression, an output of 600 hp was achieved.

A new solution was found for the construction of the chassis: The rigid and very light monocoque was made of a composite material that consisted exclusively of Kevlar and carbon fiber and did not use aluminum. It was the first Scuderia car with a carbon fiber chassis and a self-supporting body. This monocoque, “baked” from two half-shells and then heat-glued, together with reinforcing ribs at the most important points, contributed to increasing the stiffness of the car, and crash tests showed a considerable increase in safety.

The suspension was similar to the previous model, but had modified wishbones to reduce heavy wear on the front tires. The rear wing, which occasionally had small additional side wings that made it possible to circumvent the limitation on the dimensions of the rear wing, had been designed according to the new rules and reduced the loss of adhesion that had occurred due to the lack of the aprons.

4 cars were used in the race (chassis number from 066 to 069), while a fifth chassis (number 070) was probably not used.

Racing history

The 126C3 had a rather short but successful career: 2 wins, 3 pole positions , 2 fastest race laps with only 7 starts. It made its debut at the British Grand Prix , where Ferrari brought in two C3 and two previous C2B models to decide at the last minute which one the team wanted to use. Arnoux and Tambay took the first two starting positions with the new C3, but both Ferrari had tire problems in the race and so Tambay finished third, while Arnoux finished fifth.

At the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring, Scuderia again secured the front row (Tambay 1st, Arnoux 2nd). Arnoux won the race while Tambay was eliminated due to engine problems. The next three races (Austria, Holland and Italy) confirmed the good results of the C3 Ferraris and consolidated Arnoux's position in the overall standings thanks to the victory in Holland (Tambay came 2nd) and two second places in Austria and Italy (Tambay 4th place). ).

In the last two races at Brands Hatch (European Grand Prix) and South Africa , neither driver could score. The Scuderia Ferrari won the constructors' championship for the second time in a row.

gallery

Arnoux at the 1983 Dutch Grand Prix

Results

driver	No.	1	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	Points	rank
1983 Formula 1 season										89 ¹	1.
France R. Arnoux	27	These races were contested with the predecessor model 126C2B	5	1	2	1	2	9	DNF
France P. Tambay	28		3	DNF	DNF	2	4th	DNF	DNF

¹ 44 of these points were achieved with the predecessor model 126C2B

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
violet	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
red	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
White	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
Light Blue	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	^P / bold	Pole position
	_SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

literature

Leonardo Acerbi, Tutto Ferrari, Mondadori, 2004, ISBN 88-04-51482-5
Piero Casucci, Profili Quattroruote: Ferrari F1 1977–1985, Rozzano (MI), Editaoriale Domus, 1985
Daniele Buzzonetti, Gli illusionisti della Formula 1, Ruoteclassiche n ° 264 pp. 24-26, December 2010

Web links

Commons : Ferrari 126C3 - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

ferrari.com : Information on the 126C3 (en) accessed on April 16, 2020
Drivetribe : some photos of the 126C3, accessed on April 16, 2020
f1technical.net : Technical information accessed on April 16, 2020 (English)