In 1983, with the ban on ground effect and the requirement for a flat bottom, Ferrari was forced to heavily revise the successful 126C2, giving birth to the Ferrari 126 C2B.
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| FERRARI 126 C2B, René Arnoux Montréal, Canadian GP 1983 |
Mauro Forghieri and Harvey Postlethwaite were focused on the development of the new 126 C3 single-seater and therefore did not intervene in the chassis and suspension, but completely revised the weight distribution and aerodynamics. A new, significantly larger front wing was adopted. At the rear, to counteract the downforce loss due to new regulations limiting wing size, Maranello's engineers devised a clever solution by adding two small winglets to the sides of the main rear wing, positioned in front of the wheel axis, exploiting a "gray area" of the rules and recovering around 50% of the lost downforce.
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| FERRARI 126 C2B, René Arnoux Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1983 |
The long, rounded sidepods of the previous version became aerodynamically inefficient with the introduction of the flat bottom and the removal of the Venturi tunnels under the car. They were replaced with much shorter and sloped sidepods, with radiating masses moved toward the rear to improve downforce during acceleration. As per the new regulations, a new front deformable structure was also introduced, making the nose slightly longer and sharper.
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| FERRARI 123 C2B, Patrick Tambay Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP 1983 |
As already tested in mid-1982, the rear suspension adopted the modern pull-rod solution, first used on the Brabhams designed by Gordon Murray. The engine remained the Tipo 021 V6 Turbo 1496.43 cc from the previous season, but power was increased to 650 hp in race trim and over 800 hp during qualifying, paired with a Ferrari-built single-unit gearbox with integrated differential. The car’s dimensions remained mostly unchanged, although it appeared smaller, and the weight dropped significantly to 540 kg, complying with the new regulations. For the 1983 season, Ferrari retained French driver Patrick Tambay, who had been called in 1982 after the death of Gilles Villeneuve. To replace Pironi, still seriously injured and uncertain about returning after his horrific crash at Hockenheim, Ferrari signed his fellow Frenchman René Arnoux. Having driven for four seasons with the turbocharged Renault, Arnoux could assist Ferrari’s engineers in developing their own V6 turbo.
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| FERRARI 126 C2B, René Arnoux Imola, San Marino GP 1983 |
The 126 C2B was used for the first eight races of 1983, achieving 2 victories (San Marino GP at Imola with Tambay and Canadian GP at Montreal with Arnoux), plus one second place and three third places, before being replaced by the more efficient 126 C3 designed specifically for flat-bottom configuration. The strong results of the 126 C2B brought Ferrari 44 points, contributing to Maranello’s eighth Constructors’ Championship title.
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