Ferrari 125 F1

Ferrari 125 F1
Overview
Manufacturer Ferrari
Production 1948–1950
Designer Gioacchino Colombo, Valerio Colotti
Body and chassis
Class Formula One car
Powertrain
Engine 1.5 L Colombo 125 V12
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2160 mm (85 in)
2320 mm (91 in)
Length 3685 mm (145 in)
Width 1400 mm (55 in)
Height 1025 mm (40 in)
Curb weight 710 kg (1565 lb)
Chronology
Successor Ferrari 275 F1
See also the 125 S, a sports racer sharing the same engine

The 125 F1 was Ferrari's first Formula One car. It shared its engine with the 125 S sports racer which preceded it by a year, but was developed at the same time by Enzo Ferrari, Valerio Colotti and designer, Gioacchino Colombo.

Mechanical details

The 125 F1 used a supercharged 1.5-litre V12 engine and sported a steel tube-frame chassis with longitudinal and cross members.[1] It had a double wishbone suspension with a transverse leaf spring in front and a torsion bar in the rear which was upgraded to a de Dion tube for 1950. Worm and sector steering and four-wheel drum brakes were the norm for the time. The 2,160 mm (85 in) wheelbase was uprated to 2,320 mm (91 in) in the 1949 redesign. The chassis and transmission design was by Valerio Colotti.

The 125 F1 was powered by Colombo's 1.5-litre (1497 cc/91 in³) 60° V12. It had a single overhead camshaft on each bank of cylinders with a 60° angle between the two banks. The engine had two valves per cylinder fed through one Weber 40DOC3 or 50WCF carburettor. With just a 6.5:1 compression ratio, the supercharged engine still produced 230 hp (172 kW) at 7000 rpm. However, the Roots-type single-stage supercharger was incapable of producing the high-end power required to compete with the strong eight-cylinder Alfa Romeo 158 and four-cylinder Maserati 4CLT. Strong driving and a nimble chassis, however, allowed the company to place third in its first outing, at the Valentino Grand Prix on September 5, 1948 and the company persevered in racing.

For 1949, the engine was further modified with dual overhead camshafts (though still two valves per cylinder) and a two-stage supercharger. This combination gave the car better top-end performance and the resulting 280 hp (209 kW) gave it five Grand Prix wins. Development continued the following year, but the problematic superchargers were dropped in favor of larger displacement and Lampredi's 275 engine superseded the original Colombo engine.

The original chassis have been lost (used for Ferrari 275), but an exact replica with the original Colombo engine currently resides in Museo Ferrari in Maranello alongside newer Ferrari F1 machines.

Museo Ferrari

Racing

The 125 F1 debuted at the Valentino Grand Prix on September 5, 1948. Three cars were fielded, with drivers Prince Bira of Siam, Nino Farina, and Raymond Sommer who placed third in the race.

Victories
DateLocationDriver
October 24, 1948Garda Circuit, SalòGiuseppe Farina
July 3, 1949Switzerland Grand Prix, BernAlberto Ascari
July 31, 1949Zandvoort Grand PrixLuigi Villoresi
August 20, 1949Daily Express Trophy, SilverstoneAlberto Ascari
September 11, 1949Italian Grand Prix, MonzaAlberto Ascari
September 25, 1949Masaryk Circuit, BrnoPeter Whitehead
July 13, 1950Jersey Road RacePeter Whitehead
August 12, 1950Ulster Trophy, DundrodPeter Whitehead
October 1, 1950Interstate Race, InterlagosFrancisco Landi
January 27, 1951São Paulo Grand PrixFrancisco Landi
May 20, 1951Governador Noguera Garcez Race, InterlagosFrancisco Landi
June 28, 1951Bõa Vista Grand Prix, Rio de JaneiroFrancisco Landi

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position, results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1950 Ferrari 125 F1 1.5 V12 D GBR MON 500 SUI BEL FRA ITA
Peter Whitehead DNS 3 7
P Luigi Villoresi Ret Ret 6
Alberto Ascari 2 Ret
Raymond Sommer 4
1951 Ferrari 125 F1 1.5 V12 D SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA ESP
Peter Whitehead Ret Ret
P Ret
1952 Ferrari 125 F1 1.5 V12 D SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA
Peter Whitehead 10 DNQ
Source:[2]

References

Footnotes
  1. ↑ "GILCO ferrari 125 GP chassis". Gilco Design. Retrieved August 10, 2006.
  2. ↑ Small, Steve (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. pp. 37, 357, 388 and 400. ISBN 0851127029.
Sources
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