Martin Stretton driving a 1983 Tyrrell 012 during qualifying for the FIA Masters Historic Formula One race: Silverstone Classic
The Tyrrell 012 is a Formula One racing car that was designed by Maurice Philippe for the Tyrrell team. It was introduced for the 1983 season, and was subsequently used in 1984 and the first few races of 1985. It was the first chassis built by the team to be composed mostly of carbon fibre, following on from Lotus and McLaren. The car was powered by the short-stroke version of the Ford Cosworth DFV that had previously been supplied to Lotus, after that team signed to use Renault turbo engines. The Benetton clothing company sponsored the team in 1983, with the large budget used to successfully develop the car. Although the car was light and nimble, it was no match for the massively powerful turbo cars. Ken Tyrrell continued to use young, promising drivers in his team and helped develop their careers. Michele Alboreto, in his second year for the team, scored a point in the car's first race at Zandvoort. For 1984, Alboreto moved on to Ferrari and was replaced by Martin Brundle, whilst Stefan Bellof filled the other seat. The 012 was further developed with smaller sidepods and a larger rear wing to increase downforce. A newer version of the DFV, dubbed the DFY was provided to the team by Ford. Tyrrell were now the only one of the established teams to use the venerable engine. Both Brundle and Bellof drove impressed in their rookie seasons in F1, achieving solid placings and a podium place each, but after Brundle's second place in the United States Grand Prix the cars were disqualified by the FIA for various rule infringements and the team were excluded from the championship. The 012 was pressed into service in the early races of 1985 and Bellof pulled off a run of points finishes until the 014 Renault turbo was introduced; its chassis almost identical to its predecessor's. The DFY engine, by the start of the 1985 season was around 300 hp down on most of the turbo-charged engines used by other teams that year.
Size: 4081px × 2960px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 012, 1983, 2016, car, classic, danny, designer, driver, f1, formula, martin, maurice, original, philippe, qualifying, race, silverstone, stretton, sullivan, team, tyrrell
