Tyrrell Racing facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tyrrell

Full name	Tyrrell Racing Organisation
Base	Ockham, Surrey, United Kingdom
Founder(s)	Ken Tyrrell
Noted staff	Derek Gardner Mike Gascoyne Tim Densham Harvey Postlethwaite
Noted drivers	Patrick Depailler Jean Alesi Didier Pironi Jody Scheckter Jackie Stewart Andrea de Cesaris François Cevert Stefan Bellof Ronnie Peterson Derek Daly Jos Verstappen Martin Brundle Jonathan Palmer Michele Alboreto Mika Salo
Next name	British American Racing

| Constructors = Matra
March
Tyrrell | Debut = 1968 South African Grand Prix (as Matra International)
1970 South African Grand Prix (as Tyrrell Racing Organisation) | Races = 23 entries (23 starts) (as Matra International)
442 entries (440 starts) (as Tyrrell Racing Organisation) | Cons_champ = 1 (1971) (as Tyrrell Racing Organisation) | Drivers_champ = 3 (1969 as Matra International, 1971, 1973 as Tyrrell Racing Organisation) | Wins = 9 (as Matra International)
24 (as Tyrrell Racing Organisation) | Poles = 2 (as Matra International)
17 (as Tyrrell Racing Organisation) | Fastest_laps = 9 (as Matra International)
18 (as Tyrrell Racing Organisation) | Last race = 1969 Mexican Grand Prix (as Matra International)
1998 Japanese Grand Prix (as Tyrrell Racing Organisation) }}

The Tyrrell Racing Organisation was a famous Formula One racing team. It was started by Ken Tyrrell (1924–2001). The team began racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970.

Tyrrell Racing had its biggest success in the early 1970s. They won three Drivers' Championships and one Constructors' Championship with the legendary driver Jackie Stewart. The team continued to win races through the 1970s and early 1980s. Their last win was in 1983.

The team was sold in 1997 to British American Tobacco. It raced its final season as Tyrrell in 1998. Today, the Mercedes-AMG F1 team is a descendant of Tyrrell. This is through several sales and name changes over the years.

Early Racing Years (1958–1967)

Tyrrell Racing began in 1958. They raced Formula Three cars with Ken Tyrrell as a driver. Ken soon realized he was better at managing a team. In 1959, he stopped driving.

He started a Formula Junior team. Their workshop was a simple woodshed. Throughout the 1960s, Tyrrell moved up through different racing levels. He helped famous drivers like John Surtees and Jacky Ickx start their careers.

The team formed a strong partnership with Jackie Stewart. He first joined them in 1963. Tyrrell also managed the BRM Formula Two team from 1965 to 1967. Stewart was part of BRM's Formula One team during this time.

Later, Tyrrell made a deal to race F2 cars from the French company Matra. Tyrrell first entered a World Championship Grand Prix in 1966. They used F2-spec Matra MS5s for Ickx and Hubert Hahne. Ickx had a crash, and Hahne finished 9th. Tyrrell entered another F2 car for Ickx in 1967. Ickx qualified well but had to start from the back. He retired from the race due to a broken suspension.

Formula One Era (1968–1998)

Starting in the 1960s

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

With support from Elf and Ford, Ken Tyrrell achieved his dream. He moved into Formula One in 1968. His team was officially called Matra International. This was a partnership between Tyrrell's team and the French car maker Matra.

Jackie Stewart was a strong competitor. He won three Grand Prix races in the Tyrrell-run Matra MS10. This car had a special feature: its fuel tanks were part of the car's structure. This made the car lighter and stronger. However, the FIA (the racing rule-makers) thought this was unsafe. They banned it for 1970, requiring cars to use rubber fuel bags.

For the 1969 championship, Matra decided to focus only on Ken Tyrrell's team. They built a new car, the Matra MS80. It used a Cosworth DFV engine and still had the structural fuel tanks. Stewart easily won the 1969 title with this car. This was the first time a French car won the championship. It was also the only time a car built in France and entered by a private team won. It was a huge success for both the British team and the French car builder.

The 1970s: New Cars and Challenges

Tyrrell's first F1 car, the Tyrrell 001, at the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The unique Tyrrell P34 six-wheeler car.

In 1970, Matra merged with Simca. Matra asked Tyrrell to use their V12 engine instead of the Cosworth. Simca was owned by Chrysler, a rival of Ford. Stewart tested the Matra V12 and found it wasn't as good as the Cosworth DFV.

Since Ford provided a lot of Tyrrell's money, Ken Tyrrell had to make a change. He bought a March 701 car to use temporarily. Meanwhile, he secretly developed his own car. Because of this, his team's name changed from Matra International to Tyrrell Racing Organisation in 1970.

Tyrrell kept its sponsorship from the French fuel company Elf. The cars often raced in traditional French blue colors. Tyrrell and Stewart raced the March-Fords in 1970. At the same time, Derek Gardner designed Tyrrell's first in-house Grand Prix car. He worked on it in the woodshed in Ockham, Surrey.

The Tyrrell 001 car looked a lot like the Matra MS80. It appeared at the end of the 1970 season. Stewart achieved a pole position in its first race. This made Tyrrell one of the few teams to get a pole position in their very first race. However, the car had mechanical problems in all three of its races.

The very similar Tyrrell 003 car won both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships in 1971. This was thanks to strong driving from Jackie Stewart and François Cevert. Stewart's 1972 season was affected by a stomach ulcer. But he returned strong in 1973. He and Cevert finished first and fourth in the championship.

Sadly, Cevert died in a practice crash at the US Grand Prix. Stewart, who planned to retire after that season, and Tyrrell immediately pulled out of the race. This meant they effectively gave the Constructors' title to Lotus. Without their star driver and his talented teammate, Tyrrell never seriously competed for the World Championship again.

Despite this, the team remained strong in the 1970s. They won races with drivers like Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler. One famous win was Scheckter's victory in 1976. He drove the unique Tyrrell P34 car, which had six wheels! The P34 was the first and only successful six-wheeled F1 car. It used smaller front wheels, two on each side. This design was stopped because Goodyear, the tire company, wouldn't develop the special small tires needed.

In 1979, Ken Tyrrell found a sponsor: Candy, an Italian company. They helped fund the Tyrrell 009 car.

The 1980s: Challenges and Controversy

The Tyrrell 012 raced from 1983 to 1985.

In 1977, turbo engines started to appear in Grand Prix racing. By the mid-1980s, these powerful engines made older, non-turbo cars less competitive. Tyrrell often lacked enough money for sponsorship. They were the last team to use the older Cosworth DFV engine.

It was fitting that the last win for the classic Cosworth Ford DFV engine was by a Tyrrell car. Michele Alboreto drove the Tyrrell 011 to victory at the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix. This was also Tyrrell's last Grand Prix win.

1984 Season Controversy

Formula One rules set a minimum weight for cars. In 1984, Tyrrell was the only team using a non-turbo engine. They used a system that added water to the engine to help it run better. The rules also said cars had to be weighed with all their fluids.

During some races, after Tyrrell's final pit stop, small lead pellets were seen coming from the car. It was discovered that Tyrrell was running the car lighter during the race. Then, near the end, they would add water mixed with lead pellets to reach the minimum weight.

After the 1984 Detroit Grand Prix, where Martin Brundle finished second for Tyrrell, the cars were checked. Tyrrell was accused of several rule violations. These included adding extra fuel during the race (which was illegal then) and using illegal fuel. They were also accused of having illegal fuel lines and ballast (the lead shot) that wasn't properly fixed.

Because of these accusations, Tyrrell was removed from the 1984 World Championship. All their points from that year were taken away. Tyrrell appealed this decision. They argued that the "fuel" in the water was very small. They also said the lead shot was fixed inside the water tank. However, the appeal panel still upheld the decision. Tyrrell remained excluded and was banned from the last three races of the season.

This ban meant Tyrrell lost all their points and important travel benefits for the next year. Many people thought this ban was unfair. They believed it was a way for the FIA to remove non-turbo cars from the sport. Tyrrell eventually switched to a turbo Renault engine in 1985. Turbocharged engines became mandatory in 1986.

The 1990s: Final Years

Mika Salo driving for Tyrrell at the 1995 British Grand Prix.

Toranosuke Takagi driving the Tyrrell 026 at the 1998 Spanish Grand Prix.

Tyrrell continued to struggle through the 1980s and 1990s. The team often did well despite having less money than bigger teams. They had a brief comeback in the early 1990s.

The team's new car, the Tyrrell 019, designed by Harvey Postlethwaite, was very innovative. With Jean Alesi driving in 1990, the team achieved two second-place finishes. Alesi even led 30 laps of the Phoenix race. Alesi left for Ferrari the next year.

In 1991, with Honda engines and Braun sponsorship, Stefano Modena earned a front-row start at Monaco. He also finished second at the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix. However, the team slowly fell back in performance. Tyrrell's last Formula One points were scored by Mika Salo at the 1997 Monaco Grand Prix.

Eventually, Ken Tyrrell sold his team after the 1997 season. He was facing declining team performance and his own health issues. He sold it to Craig Pollock, who was starting a new team called British American Racing. Ken left the team before the 1998 season. This was after a disagreement about choosing a driver for sponsorship money.

Tyrrell's final race was the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix. One driver, Ricardo Rosset, failed to qualify. His teammate, Toranosuke Takagi, retired from the race after a collision.

Tyrrell's Legacy in F1

The Brawn GP team, which won championships in 2009, and the current Mercedes team are connected to Tyrrell. They are descendants through teams like Honda Racing F1 and BAR. While BAR bought the Tyrrell F1 team, they used a different factory and cars. Most of the old Tyrrell cars and equipment were sold to Paul Stoddart, who later owned the Minardi F1 team.

When team boss Ross Brawn bought the Honda F1 team in 2009, they briefly thought about bringing back the Tyrrell name for the new team.

As of July 2025, the teams that came from Tyrrell have won 8 Drivers' championships and 9 Constructors' championships. This includes Brawn's wins in 2009 and Mercedes' wins from 2014 to 2021.

The Minardi 2-seater F1 cars are based on the 1998 Tyrrell 026 design. You can still see them in demonstrations today. The Tyrrell P34 six-wheeler car is considered one of the most unique and creative race cars ever made. Other teams, like March and Williams, also tried to use a six-wheel design.

Ken Tyrrell passed away from cancer on August 25, 2001, at the age of 77.

Racecars

Year	Car	Image	Category
1970	Tyrrell 001		Formula One
1971	Tyrrell 002		Formula One
	Tyrrell 003		Formula One
1972	Tyrrell 004		Formula One
	Tyrrell 005		Formula One
	Tyrrell 006		Formula One
1974	Tyrrell 007		Formula One
1976	Tyrrell P34		Formula One
1977	Tyrrell P34B		Formula One
1978	Tyrrell 008		Formula One
1980	Tyrrell 009		Formula One
1981	Tyrrell 010		Formula One
	Tyrrell 011		Formula One
1983	Tyrrell 012		Formula One
1985	Tyrrell 014		Formula One
1986	Tyrrell 015		Formula One
1987	Tyrrell DG016		Formula One
1988	Tyrrell 017		Formula One
1989	Tyrrell 017B		Formula One
	Tyrrell 018		Formula One
1990	Tyrrell 019		Formula One
1991	Tyrrell 020		Formula One
1992	Tyrrell 020B		Formula One
1993	Tyrrell 020C		Formula One
	Tyrrell 021		Formula One
1994	Tyrrell 022		Formula One
1995	Tyrrell 023		Formula One
1996	Tyrrell 024		Formula One
1997	Tyrrell 025		Formula One
1998	Tyrrell 026		Formula One

Formula One World Championship Results

Formula One results
(Bold indicates championships won.)
Year	Name	Car	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	Points	WCC
1966	Matra International	MS5	Cosworth SCA 1.0 L4 BRM P80 1.0 L4	D	Jacky Ickx Hubert Hahne	N/A	N/A
1967	Matra International	MS5	Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4	D	Jacky Ickx	N/A	N/A
1968	Matra International	MS9 MS10	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	D	Jackie Stewart Jean-Pierre Beltoise Johnny Servoz-Gavin	N/A	N/A
1969	Matra International	MS10 MS80 MS84 MS7	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4	D	Jackie Stewart Jean-Pierre Beltoise Johnny Servoz-Gavin	N/A	N/A
1970	Tyrrell Racing Organisation	March 701 Tyrrell 001	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	D	Jackie Stewart François Cevert Johnny Servoz-Gavin	0	NC
1971	Elf Team Tyrrell	001 002 003	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Jackie Stewart François Cevert Peter Revson	73	1st
1972	Elf Team Tyrrell	002 003 004 005 006	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Jackie Stewart François Cevert Patrick Depailler	51	2nd
1973	Elf Team Tyrrell	005 006	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Jackie Stewart François Cevert Chris Amon	82	2nd
1974	Elf Team Tyrrell	005 006 007	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Jody Scheckter Patrick Depailler	52	3rd
1975	Elf Team Tyrrell	007	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Jody Scheckter Patrick Depailler Michel Leclère Jean-Pierre Jabouille	25	5th
1976	Elf Team Tyrrell	007 P34	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Jody Scheckter Patrick Depailler	71	3rd
1977	First National City Elf Team Tyrrell	P34	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Ronnie Peterson Patrick Depailler	27	5th
1978	First National City Elf Team Tyrrell	008	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Patrick Depailler Didier Pironi	38	4th
1979	Candy Tyrrell Team	009	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Didier Pironi Jean-Pierre Jarier Geoff Lees Derek Daly	28	5th
1980	Candy Tyrrell Team	009 010	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Jean-Pierre Jarier Derek Daly Mike Thackwell	12	6th
1981	Tyrrell Racing Team	010 011	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M A	Eddie Cheever Kevin Cogan Ricardo Zunino Michele Alboreto	10	8th
1982	Team Tyrrell	011	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Slim Borgudd Brian Henton Michele Alboreto	25	7th
1983	Benetton Tyrrell Team	011 012	Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Danny Sullivan Michele Alboreto	12	7th
1984	Tyrrell Racing Organisation	012	Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8	G	Martin Brundle Stefan Johansson Stefan Bellof Mike Thackwell	0	DSQ
1985	Tyrrell Team	012 014	Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 Renault EF4B 1.5 V6 t	G	Martin Brundle Stefan Johansson Stefan Bellof Ivan Capelli Philippe Streiff	4 (Tyrrell-Cosworth) 3 (Tyrrell-Renault)	9th (Tyrrell-Cosworth) 10th (Tyrrell-Renault)
1986	Data General Team Tyrrell	014 015	Renault EF4B 1.5 V6 t	G	Martin Brundle Philippe Streiff	11	7th
1987	Data General Team Tyrrell	DG016	Ford Cosworth DFZ 3.5 V8	G	Jonathan Palmer Philippe Streiff	11	6th
1988	Tyrrell Racing Organisation	017	Ford Cosworth DFZ 3.5 V8	G	Jonathan Palmer Julian Bailey	5	8th
1989	Tyrrell Racing Organisation	017B 018	Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8	G	Jonathan Palmer Johnny Herbert Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi	16	5th
1990	Tyrrell Racing Organisation	018 019	Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8	P	Satoru Nakajima Jean Alesi	16	5th
1991	Braun Tyrrell Honda	020	Honda RA101E 3.5 V10	P	Satoru Nakajima Stefano Modena	12	6th
1992	Tyrrell	020B	Ilmor 2175A 3.5 V10	G	Olivier Grouillard Andrea de Cesaris	8	6th
1993	Tyrrell	020B 021	Yamaha OX10A 3.5 V10	G	Ukyo Katayama Andrea de Cesaris	0	NC
1994	Tyrrell Racing Organisation	022	Yamaha OX10B 3.5 V10	G	Ukyo Katayama Mark Blundell	13	7th
1995	Nokia Tyrrell Yamaha	023	Yamaha OX10C 3.5 V10	G	Ukyo Katayama Mika Salo Gabriele Tarquini	5	8th
1996	Tyrrell Yamaha	024	Yamaha OX11A 3.5 V10	G	Ukyo Katayama Mika Salo	5	8th
1997	PIAA Tyrrell Ford	025	Ford ED4 3.0 V8 Ford ED5 3.0 V8	G	Jos Verstappen Mika Salo	2	10th
1998	PIAA Tyrrell	026	Ford JD Zetec-R 3.0 V10	G	Ricardo Rosset Toranosuke Takagi	0	NC

See also

In Spanish: Tyrrell Racing para niños