Ferrari 312F1

**Ferrari 312F1**
	Ferrari 312 F1 (1969 version)
Constructor:	Scuderia Ferrari
Designer:	Mauro Forghieri
Predecessor:	Ferrari 246 Tasman
Successor:	Ferrari 312B
Technical specifications
Chassis:	Half-shell, steel tubes and aluminum plates, partially supporting engine.
Engine:	Ferrari V12 60 ° 2989 cm³
Length:	4050 mm
Width:	1557 mm
Wheelbase:	2400 mm
Weight:	523 kg
Tires:	Dunlop (1966) ; Firestone (1966 to 1969)
Petrol:	Shell
statistics
Driver:	Lorenzo Bandini John Surtees Ludovico Scarfiotti Chris Amon Jacky Ickx; ; ; ;
First start:	1966 Belgian Grand Prix
Last start:	1969 Italian Grand Prix
World Cup points:	k. A. / tba
Podiums:	k. A. / tba
Leadership laps:	k. A. / tba

The Ferrari 312F1 was a Formula 1 car that Scuderia Ferrari built and used from 1966 to 1969.

For the 1966 Formula 1 season, the permitted displacement of naturally aspirated engines was doubled from 1.5 to 3 liters at relatively short notice . In addition, as before 1951, supercharged 1.5-liter engines were permitted. Although Alfa Romeo 158/159 with compressor developed the early 1950s over 400 hp, took advantage of manufacturers until the end of the 1970s again this technique.

Ferrari took over the chassis and suspension from the last 1.5-liter car, the Ferrari 1512 . Its flat engine was replaced by the classic 60 ° V12 of the Ferrari 275P sports prototype, but reduced from 3.3 to just under 3.0 liters with a shorter stroke. The engine thus had 250 cc per cylinder again like a Ferrari 250 , but instead the designation 312 was chosen according to the nomenclature of the previous Formula 1 models, for 3 liters of displacement and 12 cylinders. It had two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank with two valves per cylinder, plus a gasoline injection system from Lucas , which injected the fuel into the centrally located intake manifold. The result was an engine that developed around 330 hp (243 kW) at 2989 cc.

1966 season

When the car appeared on the international racetracks in 1966, it entered a transitional phase of Formula 1. Most teams initially used drilled Coventry Climax units, Lotus also used the H16 engines from BRM , and Brabham had relatively simple ones from Repco Have V8 engines built. Cooper got V12 engines from Maserati , based on the engine of the 1950s 250. Dan Gurney's V12 Weslake for the AAR Eagle was just as late as the Ford Cosworth V8 , which only made its debut in 1967.

The chances for the Ferrari 312F1 to become a victorious racing car and also to win titles were therefore good. But Scuderia Ferrari was busy with the traditional sports car races in the first half of the season and also lost to Ford for the first time at Le Mans. Surtees won the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps in the rain , but was dissatisfied. It quickly became apparent that the car was much too heavy at 600 kg and that the V12 had too little power for it. Lorenzo Bandini drove a Ferrari 246 Tasman with the lighter V6 engine, although it only had 2.4 liters displacement. After a falling out with team manager Eugenio Dragoni , John Surtees , Formula 1 world champion from 1964, left Ferrari and went to Cooper-Maserati, where he became vice world champion after another victory.

Now Ferrari paid more attention to Formula 1. At the Italian Grand Prix on the fast Monza track, where the weight of the 312 was hardly a hindrance, Ludovico Scarfiotti and Mike Parkes achieved a much-acclaimed double victory . In the 312 from Scarfiotti, a modified engine with 36 valves (two intake and one exhaust valve per cylinder) was used. These successes remained piecemeal against the consistent work of Brabham, which brought the Jack Brabham team driver and manufacturer titles. Ferrari was at least second in the manufacturers' championship.

1967 season

The chassis was improved for 1967, a combination of tubular frame and monocoque , but without being able to reduce the weight of the now approximately 550 kg car to the weight limit of 500 kg. The engine was adapted, three-valve cylinder heads with reversed cross-flow direction were installed, that is, the exhaust system was now located in the center above, the intake manifolds protruded to the side. The output rose to 360 to 390 hp (265 to 287 kW).

The year began with a catastrophe when Lorenzo Bandini had a fatal accident in the 312F1 at the Monaco Grand Prix . A variant with a long chassis was used for the tall Mike Parkes , but the Briton's Formula 1 career ended that same year after a serious accident in Spa. Only Chris Amon collected points by three third places. The season was therefore extremely disappointing for Ferrari, both in Formula 1 and in the sports car, where Ford again triumphed in Le Mans and in the World Championship.

1968 season

After a rule change in the sports car world championship, Ferrari decided not to participate and was able to concentrate fully on Formula 1. Another revision of the chassis and engine brought the 312F1 to its competitive weight. After Lotus introduced wings in Monaco , the 312 was fitted with a driver-adjustable wing above the engine. Belgian Jacky Ickx won the rainy French Grand Prix in Rouen and was the first driver to win a world championship run with a rear wing. It was also the first win for Ferrari in almost two years, but it remained the only one for the same period. Ickx was the discovery of the year and was able to stage itself several times. In the final ranking of the world championship, he reached fourth place. Ferrari also came fourth in the Manufacturers' Cup.

1969 season

In 1969, when Ickx had moved to Brabham, the Scuderia used only one 312F1 with Chris Amon at the wheel in the World Championship for almost the entire season . In addition, there were deployments in a sports car based on the F1, the Ferrari 312P . The chassis was slightly changed and the engine was revised so that it developed 430 hp (316 kW) on the test bench. The last season of the 312F1, in which aerodynamic aids played an important role, was a failure. Amon hardly crossed the finish line with the car and only managed a podium place in the Netherlands . The New Zealander left Ferrari frustrated during the season. His successor Pedro Rodríguez finished seventh in the last race of the 312F1 in Mexico.

Ferrari finished last in the manufacturers' championship. In contrast to the British competition, which used the Cosworth V8, was increasingly supported by sponsors and competed in their colors, Ferrari largely dispensed with this innovation and also retained the classic Rosso Corsa. By selling company shares in FIAT, Enzo Ferrari again acquired funds for further developments.

The successor model of the 312, the Ferrari 312B , was equipped with a flat 12-cylinder 180 ° V-engine from 1970. With this new engine, not quite correctly referred to as a boxer, the Scuderia won several world championships in the 1970s, including in the sports car.

gallery

Lorenzo Bandini in 1966 in a Ferrari 312F1 during training for the German GP at the Nürburgring

Ludovico Scarfiotti after winning the 1966 Italian Grand Prix

Ferrari 312F1, version from 1967

Ferrari 312F1

Statistics in Formula 1

season	Team name	chassis	engine	World Cup rank	Points
1966	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 312	Ferrari 3.0 V12	2.	31
1967	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 312	Ferrari 3.0 V12	4th	20th
1968	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 312	Ferrari 3.0 V12	4th	32
1969	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 312	Ferrari 3.0 V12	6th	7th

Technical specifications

312F1	Year of construction 1966; used from 1966 to 1969
engine	12-cylinder V-engine in front of the rear axle
Bore × stroke	77 x 53.5 mm
Displacement	2989 cc
compression	11.8: 1
power	1966–1968: 360 hp at 10,000 rpm. 1969: 436 hp at 11,000 rpm
Max. Torque	-
crankshaft	-
Engine control	OHC , chain, 2 valves (1969 4 valves)
Charging	Lucas fuel injection
fuel	-
Tank capacity	158 liters
cooling	-
transmission	5 gear, 1 return gear, multi-plate clutch
chassis	Monocoque / tubular space frame
Suspension in front	Double wishbones , internal coil springs
Rear suspension	Double wishbones, coil springs
Shock absorbers	Telescopic shock absorbers front and rear
Brakes	Four hydraulically operated disc brakes
wheelbase	2400 mm
track	1450/1435 mm
External dimensions	3830 × 760 (cockpit) × 870 mm
Dry weight	610 kg (including water and oil)
Top speed	-

literature

Mike Lang: Grand Prix! Race-by-race account of Formula 1. Haynes Publishing Group, Sparkford 1982, ISBN 0-85429-321-3 .
David Hodges: Racing cars from A to Z after 1945. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
Pino Casamassima: Storia della Scuderia Ferrari. Nada Editore, Vimodrome 1998, ISBN 88-7911-179-5 .
Leonardo Acerbi: 60 years of Ferrari. Heel, Königswinter 2007, ISBN 978-3-89880-815-6

Web links

Commons : Ferrari 312 - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Text and data for the Ferrari 312F1 (English)