Tyrrell

Interesting facts

Ken Tyrrell entered Formula 1 in 1968 through a partnership with the French manufacturer Matra, racing as 'Matra International,' a venture bankrolled by Elf and Ford. Jackie Stewart had already been driving for Tyrrell in the junior formulas since 1963, and became the team's lead driver once it reached Formula 1. In 1969, only their second season in the sport, Tyrrell's team won the World Championship with Stewart - a feat almost unheard of for a privateer outfit so early in its existence. In 1970 Matra's merger with Simca, a Chrysler subsidiary, created a conflict, since Ford would not back a Chrysler-linked manufacturer through Elf sponsorship - so Tyrrell bought an interim March 701 chassis while secretly developing his own car. The team was formally renamed 'Tyrrell Racing Organisation' at the start of 1970, marking the shift toward building its own cars. Tyrrell raced in Formula 1 from 1970 to 1998, across 29 seasons as a British team. Tyrrell won the Constructors' Championship once, in 1971. The team scored a total of 614 constructors' championship points.