Ferrari 126 C3 F1 Car

Builder	Ferrari
Years	1983
Class	Race Car
Category	Formula 1
Squad	Scuderia Ferrari SEFAC
Designed by	Mauro Forghieri and Harvey Postlethwaite
Engine	Ferrari Tipo 021 V6 of 120°
Length	4130 mm
Length	2110 mm
Height	1025 mm
Step	2600 mm
Weight	552 kg
Fuel	Agip
Tyres	Goodyear

The Ferrari 126 C3 is a single-seater sports car from Formula 1 in the 1980s

History

The 126 C3 was presented on 20 June 1983 inside the racing department workshops a few hours after being assembled for the first time. In addition to the few invited journalists, Enzo and Piero Ferrari were present as well as of course the two pilots and the design manager Mauro Forghieri. The new car was astonished by its aerodynamic shape and arrow-shaped shape; in fact, it was presented with very far back bellies which would never be used in the race that year. Immediately after the presentation, Tambay completed 31 laps of the track at Fiorano without finding any anomalies and setting a time of 1'09" 06, a second and a half above the then track record.

The 1983 season was also famous negatively for the suspicion (which became certain at the end of the racing season) that Brabham was using an irregular fuel for its BMW turbo engine. There had been persistent rumours about it since the summer, but only after the Italian Grand Prix did the FIA decide to take a sample from Piquet's car, winner ahead of an astonished René Arnoux. The Frenchman, in fact, was amazed by the speed of the Brabham on the straights, so high that no one was able to catch its wake. The analyses took a long time and only at the end of the season was it made known that the petrol used by Brabham had an octane number significantly higher than that permitted. Despite this, nothing happened and Enzo Ferrari, perhaps satisfied with the constructors' title, perhaps so as not to compromise his relations with Ecclestone , then owner of Brabham, which held the F1 TV rights, did not appeal even though Arnoux could have benefited from a possible disqualification of the English team. With diabolical perfidy, the Drake "satisfied" of an official letter, with which Ecclestone admitted to having cheated and promised not to do it again.

The 1983 season saw the introduction of new rules in the Formula 1 regulations. The most important were the abolition of ground effect, the obligation of a flat car floor, a minimum height from the ground of 6cm, a deformable front structure in front of the pedals and a reduction in the size of the rear wings. These new rules marked the definitive decline of the Cosworth DFV 3 Liters naturally aspirated as the exasperation of the ground effect was the only way in which cars using a naturally aspirated engine could remain competitive even if with some expedients outside the regulations. Expedients that continued to be implemented by the last teams that could not afford a turbo engine.

The new regulation, in addition to a consequent increase in costs regarding the development of engines which were once again the key to the competitiveness of a car, led to a notable differentiation of cars with different aerodynamic conformations., created cooling problems. 126 C4 and the very particular Toleman TG183. However, the 126 C3 practically always ran with very long and inclined bellies and with the radiators bent forward by 45° like the 126 C2B because the arrow configuration, which would have been taken from the Brabham BT52 There were those who preferred to maintain the approach of previous years with long and flat bellies (Renault, Lotus, Alfa Romeo) and those , like Ferrari, chose to build "arrow" cars with low and very rear air intakes (Tyrrell, Toleman, Brabham) and radiators placed laterally. Despite this, the 126 C3 was less extreme than the 

For the development of the new 126 C3, Ferrari technicians relied on the Fiat Research Centre a Testing Centre of Mirafiori where wind tunnel tests were conducted. Furthermore, all of the Scuderia's sporting activity was transferred to the Sports Management to make it as independent as possible from that intended for production cars. The chassis, for the first time on a Ferrari F1, served as a body and was built with composite materials (aluminium, Kevlar, Nomex and carbon fibre) in two hot-glued half-shells. These new materials, together with reinforcement ribs in key points, contributed to increasing the rigidity of the car and crash tests highlighted the notable increase in shock absorption capacity. This system, derived from turbojet technology, was subsequently banned in 1984.The rear wing, which in some on occasions it featured lateral appendages that allowed the restriction on the size of the rear wing to be circumvented, it was designed according to the new regulations and limited the loss of grip due to the absence of miniskirts. Like the previous single-seater, the C3 was also equipped with a controversial system for mixing water with the petrol to be injected (to overcome problems of overheating of the cylinder walls). in racing configuration), gearbox and braking system were identical. The suspensions were similar but had thinner arms to overcome the anomalous wear of the front tyres. For the rest the car was nothing more than a slightly modified 126 C2B. In fact, the engine (which now delivered over 600 hp at 10,500 rpm

In reality, at the presentation the car featured an "arrow" type aerodynamic side, inspired by the "Brabham BT52", which would win the world championship. During the Silverstone tests fifteen days before the debut, engine cooling problems were highlighted that were not present on the 126C2/B brought as a touchstone. For this reason, the aerodynamics of the old model were adopted again. Overall, the 126 C3 proved to be a successful car, fast even according to its drivers and capable of repeating the 1982 constructors' title of the 126 C2.

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