>>Ferrari 125 F1

Ferrari 125 F1

Ferrari 125 F1

Manufacturer	Ferrari
Production	1948–1950
Successor	Ferrari 275 F1
Class	Formula One car
Engine	1.5 L Colombo 125 V12
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)
Designer	Gioacchino Colombo

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 and famed designer, Gioacchino Colombo.

Mechanical details

The 125 F1 used a supercharged 1.5 L V12 engine and sported a steel tube-frame chassis with longitudinal and cross members. 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 2160 mm (85 in) wheelbase was uprated to 2320 mm (91 in) in the 1949 redesign.

The 125 F1 was powered by Gioacchino Colombo's 1.5 L (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 50WCFcarburettor. 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year, but the problematic superchargers were dropped in favor of larger displacement and Lampredi's 275 engine superseded the original Ferrari engine.

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

Date	Location	Driver
October 24, 1948	Garda Circuit, Salò	Giuseppe Farina
July 3, 1949	Switzerland Grand Prix, Bern	Alberto Ascari
July 31, 1949	Zandvoort Grand Prix	Luigi Villoresi
August 20, 1949	Daily Express Trophy, Silverstone	Alberto Ascari
September 11, 1949	Italian Grand Prix, Monza	Alberto Ascari
September 25, 1949	Masaryk Circuit, Brno	Peter Whitehead
July 13, 1950	Jersey Road Race	Peter Whitehead
August 12, 1950	Ulster Trophy, Dundrod	Peter Whitehead
October 1, 1950	Interstate Race, Interlagos	Francisco Landi
January 25, 1951	São Paulo Grand Prix	Francisco Landi
May 20, 1951	Governador Noguera Garcez Race, Interlagos	Francisco Landi
June 28, 1951	Bõa Vista Grand Prix, Rio de Janeiro	Francisco 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