Tyrrell Racing
Former British motor-racing team and Formula One constructor.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Tyrrell Racing was a British motor-racing organisation founded by Ken Tyrrell. It began competing in junior single-seater categories in 1958, developed through Formula Junior and Formula Two, and entered the Formula One World Championship through its collaboration with Matra. The organisation competed under the name Matra International in 1968 and 1969 before becoming Tyrrell Racing Organisation in 1970. It built its first own Formula One car late in the 1970 season. The team’s defining period came in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Working with Jackie Stewart, Ford Cosworth and Matra, Tyrrell won the 1969 Drivers’ Championship with the Matra MS80. Stewart and François Cevert then drove the Tyrrell 003 to both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in 1971. Stewart remained a leading contender in 1972 and 1973, but illness affected his 1972 campaign and Cevert’s death during practice for the 1973 United States Grand Prix ended Tyrrell’s most successful driver partnership. Stewart retired at the end of that season, leaving the team without the combination that had produced its championships. Tyrrell remained an important and occasionally race-winning Formula One team. Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler delivered victories during the 1970s, while the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 became one of the most recognisable engineering projects in Grand Prix history. Scheckter won the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix with the P34, which also achieved a one-two finish. The concept was later abandoned when tyre development support for its small front tyres was not sustained. During the turbocharged era, Tyrrell suffered from limited financial and technical resources. It remained committed to naturally aspirated Cosworth power longer than its rivals, and Michele Alboreto’s victory at the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix became both Tyrrell’s final Formula One win and the last Grand Prix victory for the Ford Cosworth DFV engine. The team was then excluded from the 1984 championship after a technical dispute involving its water-injection and ballast system. Although Tyrrell appealed, the exclusion and a ban from the final three races stood, causing the loss of its points and important championship-related financial benefits. The organisation later used turbocharged Renault engines and continued to compete despite declining resources. A short revival arrived around 1990, when Harvey Postlethwaite’s Tyrrell 019 and the performances of Jean Alesi produced podium-level results. Honda power, Braun sponsorship and Stefano Modena brought another notable second place in Canada in 1991. Tyrrell subsequently fell further down the competitive order. British American Tobacco acquired the team in 1997, and the 1998 season was its last under the Tyrrell name. The operation was transformed into British American Racing, later passing through Honda and Brawn GP before becoming part of the modern Mercedes-AMG Formula One lineage.
History
Ken Tyrrell established the organisation in 1958, initially entering Formula Three machinery and supporting local drivers. He stopped driving himself in 1959 and concentrated on team management, operating from a workshop associated with the Tyrrell family timber business. During the 1960s the organisation progressed through Formula Junior and Formula Two, giving opportunities to drivers including John Surtees and Jacky Ickx. It also ran BRM’s Formula Two programme from 1965 to 1967. Jackie Stewart joined the organisation in 1963, beginning the partnership that would define Tyrrell’s history. Tyrrell entered the World Championship at the 1966 German Grand Prix with Formula Two-specification Matras. In 1968, financial and technical support from Elf and Ford helped Tyrrell move into Formula One through Matra International, a partnership between Tyrrell’s organisation and Matra. Stewart won three Grands Prix with the Matra MS10 in 1968. When Matra’s works programme withdrew from Formula One for 1969, Tyrrell became its principal Formula One partner. The resulting Ford Cosworth-powered Matra MS80 corrected weaknesses in the previous car, and Stewart won the 1969 Drivers’ Championship. A change in Matra’s corporate relationships placed Tyrrell in a difficult position for 1970. Matra sought to use its V12 engine, but Stewart considered it inferior to the Cosworth DFV, while Tyrrell’s Ford and Elf relationships made the switch commercially unattractive. Ken Tyrrell therefore used March chassis as an interim measure while Derek Gardner designed the first Tyrrell Formula One car. The team adopted the Tyrrell Racing Organisation name, and the Tyrrell 001 appeared late in 1970. The Tyrrell 003 was highly successful in 1971. Stewart won the Drivers’ Championship and Tyrrell took the Constructors’ Championship, with Cevert adding strong results. Stewart’s 1972 season was hindered by a stomach ulcer, but he returned to form in 1973. Cevert was killed in qualifying for the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, and Stewart retired immediately afterward. Tyrrell continued to win races with Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler, but never again matched the championship dominance of the Stewart era. Gardner’s P34, introduced in the 1970s, replaced each conventional front wheel with two smaller wheels. Its unusual layout was intended to improve aerodynamic performance while keeping the front tyres within the car’s bodywork. Scheckter won the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix with the car, but the concept was ultimately abandoned when Goodyear did not continue developing the specialised tyres required. Sponsorship remained a persistent challenge, although Candy became a significant backer in 1979. The growth of turbocharged engines placed Tyrrell at a competitive disadvantage. The team continued with naturally aspirated Cosworth power and objected to turbocharging on regulatory grounds, but the protest failed. Alboreto’s 1983 Detroit victory was the last win for both Tyrrell and the DFV. In 1984, Tyrrell used a water-injection and ballast arrangement that officials considered contrary to the technical rules. The team was excluded from the championship, lost its points and was prohibited from entering the final three races. The case remains one of the most contentious technical disputes of the period. Tyrrell later adopted turbocharged Renault power and survived through the financially difficult late 1980s. In 1987 it won the Colin Chapman Trophy for naturally aspirated constructors after Renault’s withdrawal. The team’s best later period came in 1990, when Postlethwaite designed the high-nose Tyrrell 019 and Jean Alesi scored second-place finishes at Phoenix and Monaco. Honda engines and Braun sponsorship helped Stefano Modena qualify on the front row at Monaco and finish second in Canada in 1991. The team then declined again. British American Tobacco purchased it in 1997, and after the 1998 season the Tyrrell identity disappeared from Formula One. The successor chain through BAR, Honda and Brawn GP ultimately connected the former operation with Mercedes-AMG’s current Formula One team.
- 1998
Final Tyrrell season
[1]Tyrrell completes its final season before becoming part of the British American Racing project.
- 1997
Acquisition by British American Tobacco
[1]The team is sold in preparation for a new Formula One identity.
- 1990
Late competitive revival
[1]Jean Alesi scores podium finishes with the Tyrrell 019.
- 1984
Technical exclusion
[1]Tyrrell is excluded from the championship following a dispute over its water-injection and ballast system.
- 1983
Final Grand Prix win
[1]Michele Alboreto wins in Detroit, giving Tyrrell its last Formula One victory.
- 1976
P34 victory in Sweden
[1]Jody Scheckter wins with Tyrrell’s six-wheeled Formula One car.
- 1973
Cevert dies and Stewart retires
[1]François Cevert is killed at Watkins Glen, and Jackie Stewart ends his racing career.
- 1971
Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships
[1]The Tyrrell 003 carries Stewart and the team to both Formula One championships.
- 1970
Tyrrell becomes a constructor
[1]The organisation adopts the Tyrrell Racing Organisation name and introduces the Tyrrell 001.
- 1969
First Drivers’ Championship
[1]Stewart wins the title in the Matra MS80 entered by Tyrrell’s Matra International team.
Products and positioning
Independent, technically inventive British racing constructor that competed successfully against better-funded manufacturer-backed Formula One teams.
Formula One racing car · 1971
Tyrrell 003
The Tyrrell 003 was the team’s championship-winning Formula One design for 1971. Its combination of Cosworth DFV power, effective aerodynamics and Stewart’s driving produced both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles. François Cevert also achieved strong results with the car, making it the central technical symbol of Tyrrell’s early-1970s peak.
Formula One racing car · 1976
Tyrrell P34
The P34 was a six-wheeled Formula One car designed by Derek Gardner. It used paired small front wheels on each side rather than two conventional front wheels. The concept achieved its most important result at the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix, where Jody Scheckter won and Patrick Depailler finished second. The design was later discontinued because specialised tyre development was not maintained.
Formula One racing car · 1990
Tyrrell 019
Designed under Harvey Postlethwaite, the Tyrrell 019 used an early high-nose and anhedral front-wing concept. It helped Tyrrell return to the front of the midfield in 1990, when Jean Alesi scored second-place finishes at Phoenix and Monaco.
Controversies
1984
1984 technical-rules controversy
After Martin Brundle finished second in Detroit, officials investigated Tyrrell’s water-injection and ballast arrangement. The car was accused of running underweight during races and restoring weight with water and lead shot late in the event. Officials also challenged the water mixture, fuel lines and holes in the underside. Tyrrell was excluded from the 1984 championship and banned from the final three races. The team appealed, but the decision was upheld. Tyrrell disputed the interpretation and argued that the water’s fuel content was within the rules.
Brand decisions
1997
Sale to British American TobaccoM&ABackground
Tyrrell had declined from its earlier competitive level and was operating in a Formula One environment increasingly shaped by manufacturer and tobacco sponsorship.
Action taken
British American Tobacco acquired the team and prepared a new Formula One operation.
Aftermath
The Tyrrell name was used for the final time in 1998 before the team became British American Racing.
1984
Appeal against championship exclusionOtherBackground
Tyrrell challenged the FIA’s interpretation of its water-injection and ballast system.
Action taken
The team appealed the exclusion and race ban through the FIA appeals process.
Aftermath
The judging panel upheld the decision, costing Tyrrell its 1984 points and championship-related financial benefits.
1976
Introduction of the Tyrrell P34Product launchBackground
Tyrrell pursued an unconventional aerodynamic solution in an era of intense Formula One engineering experimentation.
Action taken
The team introduced a six-wheeled design using two small front wheels on each side.
Aftermath
The P34 won in Sweden but was eventually abandoned when the required small-tyre development was not continued.
1970
Tyrrell develops its own Formula One carStrategyBackground
Matra’s requested V12 engine conflicted with Tyrrell’s technical judgment and commercial relationships with Ford and Elf.
Action taken
Ken Tyrrell used March chassis temporarily while Derek Gardner developed the Tyrrell 001, and the team formally adopted the Tyrrell Racing Organisation name.
Aftermath
The decision established Tyrrell as an independent constructor and led to its championship-winning cars of the following season.
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