Tyrrell

Tyrrell was one of the independent teams that took Formula One to new heights in the early 1970s. Sadly, it was on the skids by the 1980s and failed to see out the 1990s. Ken Tyrrell became captivated by racing in the 1950s. He raced until 1958 before concentrating on management and founding the Tyrrell Racing Team in 1960. Fortuitously, he managed the Cooper Formula One team when John Cooper was injured in a road accident and made a strong impression with his tactical nous. His path to the top, however, was linked to his discovery of a young Scot called Jackie Stewart.

Stewart was given his break when one of Tyrrell's drivers, Timmy Mayer, was killed when racing in the Tasman series early in 1964. Tyrrell was advised to give Stewart a test in one of his Formula Three cars and, when the Scotsman lapped faster than Bruce McLaren, Ken signed him.

Stewart then drove for Tyrrell in Formula Two while spending three years racing in Formula One for BRM. Tyrrell finally got to run him in Formula One in 1968. Using chassis from Matra and the Ford Cosworth DFV, Stewart only lost out on the title to Graham Hill at the final round. In 1969, the Stewart-Matra combination was unbeatable, winning six races en route to collecting both the drivers' and constructors' titles.

With Matra declining to build a car to accept the Cosworth DFV, preferring to use its own V12 engines, which Stewart did not want, it was all change for 1970. As the 1969 Matra chassis no longer conformed to the rules, Tyrrell was forced to run a March chassis. However, he employed Derek Gardner to pen the first Tyrrell chassis which was raced towards the end of the season, and which led both the Canadian and the United States Grands Prix.

Stewart and Tyrrell were dominant in 1971, and the team's French blue livery and Elf signage were seen at the head of almost every grand prix as Stewart collected six wins and his second title. Tyrrell ran a second car, with Francois Cevert winning the final round.

Stewart's 1972 campaign was interrupted after he suffered from an ulcer, but he returned in 1973 to clinch his third title. Stewart had told Tyrrell in April of his intention to retire after the last grand prix, at Watkins Glen. With the title won at Monza, he never got to race at the Glen, as Cevert died in practice and the team's entry was withdrawn.

In the immediate post-Stewart era, Patrick Depailler and Jody Scheckter won races for Tyrrell and the team developed the P34 six-wheeler for 1976. The theory was that four small wheels at the front would put more rubber onto the road while cutting aerodynamic resistance. Scheckter and Depailler finished one-two at Anderstorp then Ronnie Peterson replaced Scheckter for 1977, but, by then, the P34s were uncompetitive. After finishing second eight times, Depailler finally won, at Monaco in 1978, but the Tyrrell team did not win another grand prix until Michele Alboreto took a win in each of 1982 and 1983 to bring the team's tally since 1970 to 23 wins.

Through the 1980s and early 1990s, the Tyrrell team was a shadow of its former self. The low spot was having its results annulled in 1984 for an alleged technical irregularity, negating the input of rookies Stefan Bellof and Martin Brundle, who had finished third at Monaco and second at Detroit respectively. The high spot was Jean Alesi making the most of Harvey Postlethwaite's 018 and 019 chassis in 1990 to finish second at Phoenix and Monaco.

The 1994 season was Tyrrell's best for years as it ranked sixth. Then Mika Salo ran third on his debut in Brazil in 1995 before suffering cramp, spinning and ending up seventh.

The following year was no better and Tyrrell's decline continued into 1997, with Salo and Jos Verstappen struggling, except in the wet at Monaco where Salo salvaged fifth.

The 1998 season was the team's last. Tyrrell had been sold to British American Racing so it could gain a championship entry for a team it was setting up to run in 1999. Set up by Jacques Villeneuve's manager Craig Pollock and American manufacturer Reynard, it would include nothing of Tyrrell's heritage. Ken Tyrrell quit once it became clear he would have no influence over driver choice. He died in 2001.

Reproduced from The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Formula One published by Carlton Books