During the winter break between the 1980 and 1981 seasons, Ken Tyrrell's team expands its technical staff by hiring aerodynamic engineer Brian Lisles to support technical director Maurice Philippe. Philippe had previously worked alongside Colin Chapman on the Lotus 72 and had been designing Tyrrell's single-seaters since 1977.
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| TYRRELL 011, Eddie Cheever Österreichring, Austrian GP 1981 |
The team starts the 1981 season with an evolution of the 010, which had competed in the previous championship, featuring only minor aerodynamic modifications introduced by Lisles. These include the removal of the fins in front of the rear wheels and a more streamlined engine cover.
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| TYRRELL 011, Michele Alboreto Montréal, Canadian GP 1981 |
The team's lead driver is American Eddie Cheever, who resides in Rome and comes off a disappointing season with the newly formed Osella team. He is joined by fellow American Kevin Cogan for the first race and by Argentine Ricardo Zunino for the next two. From then on, the second Tyrrell is permanently assigned to Italian rookie Michele Alboreto, making his Formula 1 debut.
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| TYRRELL 010, Michele Alboreto Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1981 |
Only in mid-season, at the German GP, does the new Tyrrell 011, designed by Philippe and Lisles, make its debut, driven exclusively by Cheever. The car unexpectedly finishes fifth. The 011 features an entirely new aluminum monocoque chassis, designed with increased rigidity to better handle ground-effect forces. It is powered by the classic Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine, in its standard version rather than the upgraded version used by top teams, paired with the Hewland FGA 400 gearbox, still in its five-speed configuration.
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| TYRRELL 011, Eddie Cheever Hockenheimring, German GP 1981 |
The 011 has double wishbone suspension, a wheelbase of 2692 mm, and a weight of 589 kg. It is characterized by a short, wide nose and long side pods to optimize ground effect. In the final four races of the season, Alboreto also drives the 011, though his best result is only a ninth-place finish in the Netherlands. Ken Tyrrell's once-glorious team struggles but manages to score 10 points, finishing tenth in the Constructors' Championship thanks to five solid results from Cheever.
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