Description
The Ferrari 312 T5 F1, introduced for the 1980 Formula One season, was the final iteration of Ferrari’s long-lived 312 T series, which had first appeared in 1975. The 312 T cars had been hugely successful, bringing Ferrari multiple Constructors’ Championships and Drivers’ titles in the hands of Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter. However, by the time the T5 appeared, the design philosophy behind the 312 T was showing its age, and the car struggled badly in a rapidly changing Formula One landscape dominated by ground-effect aerodynamics.
At its core, the 312 T5 still relied on Ferrari’s flat-12 engine, a 3.0-liter unit producing around 500 horsepower. While this engine had been a proven powerhouse in earlier years, its wide layout made it difficult to integrate with the ground-effect underbody tunnels that were revolutionizing F1 car design by 1979–1980. Rivals such as Lotus and Williams had embraced slim V8 engines, which allowed for more efficient aerodynamics and far greater downforce. Ferrari’s flat-12, though strong in outright power and beautifully smooth, prevented the T5 from generating the levels of grip needed to remain competitive.
The chassis was an evolution of the 312 T4, which had won both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships in 1979 with Jody Scheckter. For the T5, Ferrari refined the aerodynamics slightly, reshaping the sidepods and narrowing the bodywork to try and improve airflow. Despite these updates, the car remained fundamentally compromised in terms of downforce compared to the ground-effect leaders. The suspension was also revised, but the car continued to suffer from instability in high-speed corners and excessive tire wear.
In competition, the 312 T5 endured one of Ferrari’s most disappointing seasons. Jody Scheckter, the reigning world champion, and his teammate Gilles Villeneuve struggled all year to bring the car into contention. Villeneuve managed a few spirited drives, wringing remarkable performances from the uncompetitive chassis, but results were poor overall. Ferrari failed to win a single race in 1980, and Scheckter even failed to qualify for the Canadian Grand Prix, a shocking moment for the Scuderia and its champion driver. Ferrari finished tenth in the Constructors’ Championship, a dramatic fall from grace after the triumphs of the previous year.
The 312 T5’s failure highlighted the limitations of the flat-12 and the urgent need for Ferrari to adopt a new design philosophy. By 1981, Ferrari had abandoned the flat-12 entirely, replacing it with the new turbocharged V6 engine in the 126C, marking the beginning of Ferrari’s turbo era in Formula One.
Today, the Ferrari 312 T5 is remembered as the car that brought an end to both the 312 T lineage and Ferrari’s flat-12 era in Formula One. While uncompetitive on the track, it remains historically important as a symbol of transition, illustrating how quickly Formula One technology evolved at the dawn of the 1980s. Its struggles also set the stage for Ferrari’s shift toward turbocharging, which would define its efforts throughout the decade.