The Ferrari 246 P F1 was a Formula One race car prototype used by Ferrari in 1960.[1] It was Ferrari's first mid-engined car.[2] It made only two World Championship appearances, with its best result being fifth place at the 1960 Italian Grand Prix.
The disappointing form of the Ferrari 246 in 1959, along with the continuing rise of Cooper and Lotus, finally convinced Enzo Ferrari that the future lay in rear-engine cars. The 246P was developed in secret by a team led by Carlo Chiti. After sorting its tail-heavy weight distribution, it debuted at the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix, retiring on lap 70 with a failed differential, but classified sixth.
With the new 1.5 litre rules due to come into force in 1961, the 246P was then pressed into service as a development mule for the revised V6 engine, in which guise it could compete in the existing Formula Two class. It made a single World Championship appearance, at the 1960 Italian Grand Prix, finishing fifth, but won the Formula Two Solitude Grand Prix.[3]
| ----- bgcolor="#DDDDDD" ! width="22%" | Technical data ! width="26%" | 246 P F1 ! width="26%" | 156 F2 0008 | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Engine: | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Cylinder
| 2417.3 cm³ | 1476.6 cm³ | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Bore x stroke: | 85 x 71 mm | 73 x 58.8 mm | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Compression
| 10.0:1 | 9.8:1 | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Max power at rpm: | 263 hp at 8 600 rpm | 185 hp at 9 200 rpm | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Valve control: | Double Overhead Camshafts per cylinder bank, 2 valves per cylinder | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Carburetor
| 3 Weber 42 DCN | 3 Weber 38 DCN | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Gearbox
| 5-speed manual | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | suspension front: | Double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bar | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | suspension rear: | Double wishbones, coil springs and co-axial telescopic dampers | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Brakes: | Drum brakes | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Chassis & body: | tubular steel | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Wheelbase
| 232 cm | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Dry weight
| 452 kg | ----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | Dry speed: | 280 km/h | 250 km/h | |||||||||||
(key)(results in bold indicate pole position, results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 171 2.4 V6 | ARG | MON | 500 | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | POR | ITA | USA | 26 (27)* | 3rd* | |||
| Richie Ginther | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Ferrari 1.5 V6 | Wolfgang Von Trips | 5 | ||||||||||||||