How It Ended
Final years and legacy.
Ken Tyrrell sold the team to British American Tobacco in 1997; it raced one final season in 1998 before becoming British American Racing. That lineage continues today as Mercedes.
History
Origins, eras and the people who shaped them.
Ken Tyrrell ran Matra chassis for Jackie Stewart before building his own car in 1970. The partnership produced drivers' titles in 1971 and 1973 and the constructors' championship in 1971. Stewart retired after his third title, his final race cancelled following the death of his team-mate Francois Cevert in practice at Watkins Glen.
The team is best remembered for the P34 of 1976, the six-wheeler, which used four small front wheels to reduce frontal area and increase grip. Jody Scheckter won the Swedish Grand Prix in it — the only victory for a six-wheeled Formula One car.
Tyrrell spent its last fifteen years as a midfield independent, increasingly unable to compete with manufacturer budgets. Its greatest legacy is structural: the entry it sold in 1997 is the same entry that, four owners later, won eight consecutive constructors' championships as Mercedes.
Lineage
Formula One entries change names, owners and manufacturers; the entry itself persists.
- 1970–1998Tyrrell
- 1999–2005British American Racing
- 2006–2008Honda
- 2009Brawn GP
- 2010–Mercedes
Drivers Who Defined the Team
Every name links to a full profile.
Timeline
The moments that changed the team's direction.