Tyrrell Racing Organization
Team Principal	Ken Tyrrell GBR (1968-97) Harvey Postlethwaite GBR (1998)
Designers	Mike Gascoyne GBR (1994-1996) Mike Caughlan GBR (1992-1993) George Ryton GBR (1991-1992) Jean-Claude Migeot FRA (1989-90, 94-95) Harvey Postlethwaite GBR (1989-91, 94-98) Brian Lisles GBR (1986-88) Maurice Phillippe GBR (1978-88) Derek Gardner GBR (1970-77)
Website	Historic Team Tyrrell Project P34

Team History

In the late 1950's Ken Tyrrell put together a Formula Three race team run out of the woodshed of his family business. Moving up to Formula Junior in 1959 his team gave several drivers their first taste of single-seater racing, including Jacky Ickx and John Surtees. Then in 1963 Ken first ran the driver who would take the team to F1 glory, Jackie Stewart. While Tyrrell was contracted to run the BRM Formula Two team from 1965-67,  Stewart drove for the BRM Grand Prix team. Then in 1968 Ken Tyrrell put together a deal with Ford, Matra and Elf to go into Formula One under the name "Matra International" with Stewart as the driver.

The combination of the Matra chassis and Ford power was fast right from the start, winning for the first time at the Dutch GP - just the third race for the team. Stewart took two more wins and carried the team to third place in the Constructors Championship despite running just one car for all but two of the races. A new chassis was built for 1969 and the team expanded to a full-time two car effort with Jean-Pierre Beltoise, even running a third car for Johnny Servoz-Gavin at the end of the season. The team blitzed the competition and won both the drivers and constructors titles.

Despite the success, Matra insisted on running its own engines in 1970 and in order to keep his strong ties with Ford, Ken Tyrrell bought customer March chassis and set about building his own car. The Tyrrell 001 was designed by Derek Gardner and built in complete secrecy at the teams now famous woodshed in Surrey during the course of the season. 001 made its debut at the Canadian GP and Stewart shocked the paddock by putting the car on pole position, although reliability was an issue and the car did not finish any of the three races that it was entered in.

By the start of the 1971 season the team had ironed out the problems with the 001 and proceeded to build two more cars, 002 for Francois Cevert and 003 for Stewart, who won six of the eleven Grand Prix en route to his second World Championship. The team finished the year with more than twice the number of points of the second place constructor, BRM.

To be continued...

Team Record

EMail your comments, suggestions and updates to:

editor@mcz.com

Return to the F1 Teams Index