Tyrrell Racing

The Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor (race car maker). It was created by Ken Tyrrell. The team started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team had its best success in the early 1970s. During that time, it won three drivers' championships and one constructors' championship with Jackie Stewart. The team never did as well again, but it kept winning races through the 1970s and into the early 1980s. It won its final win at Detroit in 1983. The team was bought by British American Tobacco in 1997. It finished its last season as Tyrrell in 1998.

Lower Formulae (1958 - 1967)

Tyrrell Racing was created in 1958. It used Formula Three cars for Ken Tyrrell and local stars. Tyrrell stopped being a driver in 1959. He did not think that he was good enough as a driver. He began to run a Formula Junior operation. He used the woodshed owned by his family business, Tyrrell Brothers, to do the work on the cars. During the 1960s, Tyrrell moved through the lower levels of formula racing. John Surtees and Jacky Ickx raced for their first times with his team. The team's most famous partnership was with Jackie Stewart. Stewart first signed up in 1963.

Tyrrell ran the BRM Formula 2 operation during 1965, 1966 and 1967. During this time, Stewart was signed to the Formula One team. Tyrrell then signed a deal to run Formula 2 cars made by French company Matra.

Formula One (1968 - 1998)

1960s

 
Jackie Stewart and Tyrrell won their first championship with the French Matra chassis.

With the help of Elf and Ford, Tyrrell moved to Formula One in 1968. He started as a part of Matra International. It was made up of Tyrrell's own team and the French auto maker Matra. Stewart was expected to race very well. He won several Grands Prix in the teams Matra MS10. The car's most unusual feature was the use of aviation-styled structural fuel tanks. These let the car to be around 15 kg lighter. Although it was lighter, it was still stronger than the cars it was racing against. The FIA thought that the technology was not safe. They chose to not let it be used in 1970. They said that rubber bag-tanks had to be used instead.

For the 1969 championship, the Matra team chose to not compete in Formula One. Instead of competing, Matra worked with Ken Tyrrell's 'Matra International' team. They built a new DFV powered car with structural fuel tanks, even though it would only be able to be used for a single season. Stewart won the 1969 title easily driving the new Cosworth-powered Matra MS80. Stewart's title was the first won by a French chassis. It was the only one won by a chassis built in France.[1] It was a very special event for a team and a constructor that had only entered Formula One the year before.

1970s

 
Tyrrell's first F1 car, the 001, being demonstrated at the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
 
The Tyrrell P34 six-wheeler - arguably one of the most radical F1 cars ever to have raced.

IN 1970, Matra merged with Simca. For the 1970 season, Tyrrell was asked by Matra to use Simca's V12 in place of the Cosworth. Simca was a subsidiary of the American company Chrysler which was competition for Ford. Stewart tested the Matra V12. He did not think it was as good as the DFV. Ford gave Tyrrell a large part of the money they needed to race. The team also got money for the French petroleum company Elf. Elf had an agreement with Renault that did not allow them to provide money to anyone who was partnered with Simca. Because of this, Ken Tyrrell had to buy a March 701 chassis as temporary solution while making his own car in secret.

Tyrrell was still sponsored by French fuel company Elf, and Tyrrell would keep the traditional French blue racing colours for most of the rest of the time the company existed. Tyrrell and Stewart ran the March-Fords throughout 1970 with mixed success. During this time, Derek Gardner worked on the first Tyrrell built Grand Prix car at the woodshed in Ockham, Surrey.

The Tyrrell 001, which looked like the MS80, was first seen in 1970. It earned Stewart a pole position in the Canadian GP. The car had problems in all of its 3 race starts. The nearly identical Tyrrell 003 won both Drivers' and Constructors' Championships in 1971. Stewart's had health problems dealing with a stomach ulcer in 1972 and did not race. He was well in 1973 and raced again. He finishing 1st in the Championship. On October 6, 1973, Tyrrell's other driver was killed in practice for the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Stewart, who was to stop racing at the end of the season, and Tyrrell decided they did not want to keep racing. Without their best driver, Tyrrell were never serious World Championship contenders again.

The team did still win some races during the 1970s with Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler. Most notable of these was Scheckter's win at the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix. They finished first and second in that race using an unusual Derek Gardner designed Tyrrell P34 car. The P34 was the first (and only) successful six-wheeled F1 car. They replaced front wheels with smaller wheels mounted in banks of two on either side of the car. The design was no longer used after Goodyear refused to make the small tires needed for the car.

1980s

 
The Tyrrell 012 (pictured at the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed) raced from 1983 to 1985.

In 1977, the Turbo era started in Grand Prix racing. By the mid-1980s, normal (non-turbo) cars could not race as well. Without the enough money, Tyrrell was the last team with the Cosworth DFV. All other teams had changed to turbocharged engines. It was the start of two decades of bad times for Tyrrell. The last win for the classic Cosworth Ford DFV engine was by a Tyrrell car, Michele Alboreto at the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix. It was also Tyrrell's last Grand Prix win.

1990s

Tyrrell had money problems in the 1980s and 1990s. In the late 1990s, Tyrrell had problems with his health as well. In 1998 and in the face of dwindling form and ill health, he sold his team to British American Tobacco. The team became British American Racing. The last race for Tyrrell was the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix, where Ricardo Rosset failed to qualify and team-mate Toranosuke Takagi ended the race on lap 28 after a collision with Esteban Tuero's Minardi.

Complete World Championship Formula One results

Tyrrell Racing

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

Year Chassis Engine(s) Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Points WCC
1968 Matra MS9
Matra MS10
Ford V8 D RSA ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA CAN USA MEX (45*) (2nd*)
Jackie Stewart Ret 4 1 3 6 1 Ret 6 1 7
Jean-Pierre Beltoise 5
Johnny Servoz-Gavin Ret 2 Ret Ret
1969 Matra MS10
Matra MS80
Matra MS84
Ford V8 D RSA ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER ITA CAN USA MEX (66*) (1st*)
Jackie Stewart 1 1 Ret 1 1 1 2 1 Ret Ret 4
Jean-Pierre Beltoise 6 3 Ret 8 2 9 12 3 4 Ret 5
Johnny Servoz-Gavin 6 NC 8
1970 March 701
Tyrrell 001
Ford V8 D RSA ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX 0
(28**)
-
(3rd**)
Jackie Stewart 3 1 Ret Ret 2 9 Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret Ret
Johnny Servoz-Gavin Ret 5 DNQ
François Cevert Ret 11 7 7 Ret 6 9 Ret Ret
1971 Tyrrell 001
Tyrrell 002
Tyrrell 003
Ford V8 G RSA ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA 73 1st
Jackie Stewart 2 1 1 11 1 1 1 Ret Ret 1 5
François Cevert Ret 7 Ret Ret 2 10 2 Ret 3 6 1
Peter Revson Ret
1972 Tyrrell 002
Tyrrell 003
Tyrrell 004
Tyrrell 005
Tyrrell 006
Ford V8 G ARG RSA ESP MON BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA 51 2nd
Jackie Stewart 1 Ret Ret 4 1 2 11 7 Ret 1 1
François Cevert Ret 9 Ret NC 2 4 Ret 10 9 Ret Ret 2
Patrick Depailler NC 7
1973 Tyrrell 005
Tyrrell 006
Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR NED GER AUT ITA CAN USA 82 2nd
Jackie Stewart 3 2 1 Ret 1 1 5 4 10 1 1 2 4 5 WD/
DNS
François Cevert 2 10 NC 2 2 4 3 2 5 2 2 Ret 5 Ret DNS
Chris Amon 10 WD/
DNS
1974 Tyrrell 005
Tyrrell 006
Tyrrell 007
Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA 52 3rd
Jody Scheckter Ret 13 8 5 3 2 1 5 4 1 2 Ret 3 Ret Ret
Patrick Depailler 6 8 4 8 Ret 9 2 6 8 Ret Ret Ret 11 5 6
1975 Tyrrell 007 Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA ESP MON BEL SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA USA 25 5th
Jody Scheckter 11 Ret 1 Ret 7 2 7 16 9 3 Ret 8 8 6
Patrick Depailler 5 Ret 3 Ret 5 4 12 9 6 9 9 11 7 Ret
Jean-Pierre Jabouille 12
Michel Leclère Ret
1976 Tyrrell 007
Tyrrell P34
Ford V8 G BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA JPN 71 3rd
Jody Scheckter 5 4 Ret Ret 4 2 1 6 2 2 Ret 5 5 4 2 Ret
Patrick Depailler 2 9 3 Ret Ret 3 2 2 Ret Ret Ret 7 6 2 Ret 2
1977 Tyrrell P34 Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW ESP MON BEL SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN JPN 27 5th
Ronnie Peterson Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 Ret 3 Ret 12 Ret 9 5 Ret 6 16 Ret Ret
Patrick Depailler Ret Ret 3 4 Ret Ret 8 4 Ret Ret Ret 13 Ret Ret 14 2 3
1978 Tyrrell 008 Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN 38 4th
Patrick Depailler 3 Ret 2 3 1 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 2 Ret 11 Ret 5
Didier Pironi 14 6 6 Ret 5 6 12 Ret 10 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 7
1979 Tyrrell 009 Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA 28 5th
Didier Pironi Ret 4 Ret DSQ 6 3 Ret Ret 10 9 7 Ret 10 5 3
Jean-Pierre Jarier Ret Ret 3 6 5 11 Ret 5 3 Ret 6 Ret Ret
Geoff Lees 7
Derek Daly 8
1980 Tyrrell 009
Tyrrell 010
Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA 12 6th
Derek Daly 4 14 Ret 8 9 Ret 11 4 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret
Jean-Pierre Jarier Ret 12 7 Ret 5 Ret 14 5 15 Ret 5 13 7 NC
Mike Thackwell Ret DNQ
1981 Tyrrell 010
Tyrrell 011
Ford V8 M


A

USW BRA ARG SMR BEL MON ESP FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN CPL 10 8th
Eddie Cheever 5 NC Ret Ret 6 5 NC 13 4 5 DNQ Ret Ret 12 Ret
Kevin Cogan DNQ
Ricardo Zunino 13 13
Michele Alboreto Ret 12 Ret DNQ 16 Ret DNQ Ret 9 Ret 11 13
1982 Tyrrell 011 Ford V8 G RSA BRA USW SMR BEL MON DET CAN NED GBR FRA GER AUT SUI ITA CPL 25 7th
Slim Borgudd 16 7 10
Brian Henton Ret Ret 8 9 NC Ret 8 10 7 Ret 11 Ret 8
Michele Alboreto 7 4 4 3 Ret 10 Ret Ret 7 Ret 6 4 Ret 7 5 1
1983 Tyrrell 011
Tyrrell 012
Ford V8 G BRA USW FRA SMR MON BEL DET CAN GBR GER AUT NED ITA EUR RSA 12 7th
Danny Sullivan 11 8 Ret Ret 5 12 Ret 10 14 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 7
Michele Alboreto Ret 9 8 Ret Ret 14 1 8 13 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret
1984 Tyrrell 012 Ford V8 G BRA RSA BEL SMR FRA MON CAN DET DAL GBR GER AUT NED ITA EUR POR 0 DSQ
Martin Brundle DSQ DSQ DSQ DSQ DSQ DNQ DSQ DSQ DNQ
Stefan Johansson DSQ DSQ DNQ DSQ EX EX EX
Stefan Bellof DSQ DSQ DSQ DSQ DSQ DSQ DSQ DSQ DSQ DSQ EX DSQ EX EX EX
Mike Thackwell DNQ
1985 Tyrrell 012 Ford V8 G BRA POR SMR MON CAN DET FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA BEL EUR RSA AUS 4 9th
Martin Brundle 8 Ret 9 10 12 Ret 10 DNQ
Stefan Johansson 7
Stefan Bellof 6 Ret DNQ 11 4 13 11
Tyrrell 014 Renault V6 (t/c) Martin Brundle Ret 7 7 8 13 Ret 7 NC 3 10th
Stefan Bellof 8 7 Ret
Ivan Capelli Ret 4
Philippe Streiff Ret
1986 Tyrrell 014
Tyrrell 015
Renault V6 (t/c) G BRA ESP SMR MON BEL CAN DET FRA GBR GER HUN AUT ITA POR MEX AUS 11 7th
Martin Brundle 5 Ret 8 Ret Ret 9 Ret 10 5 Ret 6 Ret 10 Ret 11 4
Philippe Streiff 7 Ret Ret 11 12 11 9 Ret 6 Ret 8 Ret 9 Ret Ret 5
1987 Tyrrell DG016 Ford V8 G BRA SMR BEL MON DET FRA GBR GER HUN AUT ITA POR ESP MEX JPN AUS 11*** 6th***
Jonathan Palmer 10 Ret Ret 5 11 7 8 5 7 14 14 10 Ret 7 8 4
Philippe Streiff 11 8 9 Ret Ret 6 Ret 4 9 Ret 12 12 7 8 12 Ret
1988 Tyrrell 017 Ford V8 G BRA SMR MON MEX CAN DET FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS 5 8th
Jonathan Palmer Ret 14 5 DNQ 6 5 Ret Ret 11 Ret 12 DNQ Ret Ret 12 Ret
Julian Bailey DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ Ret 9 DNQ 16 DNQ DNQ DNQ 12 DNQ DNQ 14 DNQ
1989 Tyrrell 017B
Tyrrell 018
Ford V8 G BRA SMR MON MEX USA CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS 16 5th
Jonathan Palmer 7 6 9 Ret 9 Ret 10 Ret Ret 13 14 Ret 6 10 Ret DNQ
Michele Alboreto 10 DNQ 5 3 Ret Ret
Jean Alesi 4 Ret 10 9 5 4 Ret Ret
Johnny Herbert Ret DNQ
1990 Tyrrell 018
Tyrrell 019
Ford V8 P USA BRA SMR MON CAN MEX FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS 16 5th
Satoru Nakajima 6 8 Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 DNS Ret 6 Ret
Jean Alesi 2 7 6 2 Ret 7 Ret 8 11 Ret 8 Ret 8 Ret DNS 8
1991 Tyrrell 020 Honda V10 P USA BRA SMR MON CAN MEX FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS 12 6th
Satoru Nakajima 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 12 Ret 8 Ret 15 Ret Ret 13 17 Ret Ret
Stefano Modena 4 Ret Ret Ret 2 11 Ret 7 13 12 Ret Ret Ret 16 6 10
1992 Tyrrell 020B Ilmor V10 G RSA MEX BRA ESP SMR MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR JPN AUS 8 6th
Olivier Grouillard Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 Ret 12 11 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret
Andrea de Cesaris Ret 5 Ret Ret 14 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 8 8 6 9 4 Ret
1993 Tyrrell 020C
Tyrrell 021
Yamaha V10 G RSA BRA EUR SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR JPN AUS 0 NC
Ukyo Katayama Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 17 Ret 13 Ret 10 15 14 Ret Ret Ret
Andrea de Cesaris Ret Ret Ret Ret DSQ 10 Ret 15 NC Ret 11 Ret 13 12 Ret 13
1994 Tyrrell 022 Yamaha V10 G BRA PAC SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR EUR JPN AUS 13 7th
Ukyo Katayama 5 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret
Mark Blundell Ret Ret 9 Ret 3 10 10 Ret Ret 5 5 Ret Ret 13 Ret Ret
1995 Tyrrell 023 Yamaha V10 G BRA ARG SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR EUR PAC JPN AUS 5 8th
Ukyo Katayama Ret 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 10 Ret 14 Ret Ret
Gabriele Tarquini 14
Mika Salo 7 Ret Ret 10 Ret 7 15 8 Ret Ret 8 5 13 10 12 6 5
1996 Tyrrell 024 Yamaha V10 G AUS BRA ARG EUR SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR JPN 5 8th
Ukyo Katayama 11 9 Ret DSQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 7 8 10 12 Ret
Mika Salo 6 5 Ret DSQ Ret 5 DSQ Ret 10 7 9 Ret 7 Ret 11 Ret
1997 Tyrrell 025 Ford V8 G AUS BRA ARG SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA AUT LUX JPN EUR 2 10th
Jos Verstappen Ret 15 Ret 10 8 11 Ret Ret Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret 13 16
Mika Salo Ret 13 8 9 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 11 Ret Ret 10 Ret 12
1998 Tyrrell 026 Ford V10 G AUS BRA ARG SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR AUT GER HUN BEL ITA LUX JPN 0 NC
Ricardo Rosset Ret Ret 14 Ret DNQ DNQ 8 Ret Ret 12 DNQ DNQ DNS 12 Ret DNQ
Toranosuke Takagi Ret Ret 12 Ret 13 11 Ret Ret 9 Ret 13 14 Ret 9 16 Ret

* In 1968 and 1969 Tyrrell ran the works-supported Matra team, hence were not eligible for Constructors' Championship points themselves. Totals in brackets are those scored by Tyrrell drivers that counted toward the Matra-Ford total.
** During 1970, in addition to their own 001 car, Tyrrell ran March-built cars for which Tyrrell were not eligible for Constructors' Championship points. Points in brackets are those scored by Tyrrell drivers that counted toward March's total of 48.
***Winners of the Colin Chapman Trophy, with 169 points.

Other Tyrrell cars

Formula One World Championship results for Tyrrell cars entered by other teams.
(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine(s) Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1976 BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA JPN
ÖASC Racing Team Tyrrell 007 Ford V8 G Otto Stuppacher DNS DNQ DNQ

Tyrrell Racing Media

Other websites

Footnotes

  1. The Renault F1 chassis which won the constructors' championship in 2005 and 2006 were designed and built in the United Kingdom.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Lotus
Formula One Constructors' Champion
1971
Succeeded by
Lotus