1983 - 1985 Tyrrell 012 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information

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In the second half of the 1970s turbo charged engines made an explosive entrance into Formula 1. That can be taken very literally as the engines were very powerful, but usually went out with a big bang long before the races were over. It took a few years before the volatile forced induction engines were finally tamed and by then they had a 200 bhp power advantage over the naturally aspirated competition. Many of the smaller teams had neither the means nor the desire to race the very complex turbo engines and had to rely on the latest version short-stroke of the Cosworth V8 engine. To bridge the 200 bhp gap the teams came up with several unconventional and often controversial solutions, but nevertheless they were steadily losing ground. One of the very last brand new cars built for a naturally aspirated engine was the Tyrrell 012, launched toward the end of the 1983 season.

With ground-effects banned at the start of the season, Tyrrell designer Maurice Phillippe no longer had to worry about elaborate side-pods. He came up with a very minimalistic design that bore quite some similarities with the Brabham BT52 penned by Gordon Murray. Much of the weight was moved towards the rear of the car, creating a distinct arrow shape. Breaking new ground for Tyrrell, the 012 used a considerable amount of carbon fibre to ensure the car was as light as possible. The composite material was used for the carbon fibre and aluminum honeycomb monocoque, the body and the wings. The parts were created for Tyrrell by expert Courtalds. Power came from the DFY variant of the Cosworth engine, which was bolted directly to the tub and sandwiched between the radiators. The short stroke engine produced a solid 500 bhp, but that was still around 200 bhp short of what the BMW, Ferrari and Renault engine produced in race trim.

Despite the power deficit Michele Alboreto had managed to score a victory earlier in 1983 with the two year old Tyrrell 011. As the 012 was an altogether more advanced car as its predecessor, the expectations were high when Michele Alboreto debuted the new racing car during the 1983 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. In race trim the turbocharged machines already had a power advantage, but in qualifying they completely eclipsed the naturally aspirated runners with special engines running at a higher turbo boost, producing in excess of 1000 bhp. Although Alboreto qualified the Tyrrell 012 well down the grid at its debut, his time was close to the fastest Cosworth runner. In the race the proven reliability of the V8 engine saw the Italian climb up the leaderbord to a point scoring sixth position. In the remaining races of the season teething problems, prevented Tyrrell from scoring any more points. Danny Sullivan came closest with a seventh place at the South African season finale.

For 1984 the 012 was further developed and two new drivers hired. Alboreto and Sullivan's places were taken by the young and talented Martin Brundle and Stefan Bellof. The Tyrrell featured a water injection system, which helped cool the injected fuel/air mixture, slightly boosting pressure. More importantly as the water was injected, the weight of the car dropped and being a coolant the water tank could be filled after the race before the car was weighed. There was quite a bit of room to play with as the 012 was a whole 40 kg lighter than the minimum weight which was set at 540 kg. It was one of several tricks to run keep with the more complex and heavier turbocharged engined competition, but it would come back to bite Tyrrell in an unprecedented fashion. Another one of these tricks was to use a similar system to cool the brakes with water.

The work in the winter immediately paid off as Brundle secured a fifth place finish during the season opener in Brazil. Both he and Bellof took very well to the finely balanced Tyrrell. The German added another point to Tyrrell's tally in Belgium by finished sixth and a lap behind race winner Alboreto, who now piloted a turbocharged Ferrari. Bellof continued to impress and scored another fifth and a third in the rain soaked Monaco Grand Prix where he put in an arguably even more memorable drive than Ayrton Senna, who finished second. The 'circus' moved to Detroit next, where Alboreto had scored a victory for Tyrrell a year earlier. Brundle came less than a second short of repeating that feat.

Tyrrell's good results had attracted the attention of the scrutineers, who took a very close look at the car after the Brundle's second at Detroit. They discovered a hydrocarbon content and lead balls in the water-injection tank. Refueling was illegal, but the team could top the water tank during a pit stop. The FIA believed that what Tyrrell's mechanics added during the pit stops was not solely water. The lead balls were added to raise the car's weight to meet the 540 kg limit and the hydrocarbon content was in fact fuel. Ken Tyrrell put up a big fight, but eventually his team was stripped of all the points scored and banned from competing in any further Grand Prix in 1984. The second part of the sentence was eventually dropped and the Tyrrells were allowed to run, but were not eligible to score any points.

Still unable to get his hands on a proper engine, Tyrrell persevered with the 012 in 1985. The impressive, but scratched results of the 1984 season could not be matched and the team gradually slipped to the very bottom of the tables. They hit rock bottom during the Austrian Grand Prix where Brundle failed to qualify the 012. He had been a staggering 12 seconds off the pace of the McLarens. A few races earlier Bellof had debuted the Tyrrell 014, which was powered by the Renault turbo engine. Brundle's 014 was ready for the next race and as a result the practice sessions of the 1985 Austrian Grand Prix had marked the end of an era. After 19 seasons and 155 victories, the Cosworth V8 engine was finally retired from Formula 1. Two of the seven 012s were used in 1985 during the opening season of the new F3000 championship.

Featured are two of the surviving 012s, which are still actively raced and with great success in the FIA sanctioned Historic Formula 1 championship. Sporting the 1983 livery, the very first 012 is seen in the top row of shots during the 2005 Silverstone Classic. Pictured at the 2004 Zolder historic races is the third chassis, which was driven to the TGP championship a year earlier.