The glory days of the 1960s and 1970s were long gone for the Tyrrell Racing Organisation. By 1984, Ken Tyrrell’s small team was forced to compete in the World Championship with the same “012” car used in the final part of the previous season. Due to limited resources, Tyrrell could no longer afford high-profile drivers, so the two official cars were entrusted to rookies: German Stefan Bellof and Briton Martin Brundle. Toward the end of the season, both were replaced—Bellof by Swede Stefan Johansson and Brundle by New Zealander Mike Thackwell. The team’s chronic lack of funding also affected the car’s livery, which changed several times during the season depending on the sponsor, replacing the traditional early-season blue.
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| TYRRELL 012, Martin Brundle Jacarepaguà, Brazilian GP 1984 |
To further develop the now-outdated 012, designers Maurice Philippe and Brian Lisles based their work on an aluminum monocoque chassis, reinforcing it with carbon fiber inserts at high-stress torsional points. Lacking a now-essential turbo engine to be competitive, the team relied on the classic Ford-Cosworth V8, upgraded to the DFY spec, which offered around 40 more horsepower than the old DFV. The 1984 version of the 012 retained the 1983 dimensions, with a wheelbase of 2642 mm and a weight well below the 540 kg regulatory minimum.
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| TYRRELL 012, Stefan Bellof Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1984 |
The car’s only real strengths were its lightness and maneuverability, which the team used to try and keep up with the heavier turbo-powered cars. During the season, they employed a questionable tactic: the cars started significantly underweight, staying competitive, and only made a "strategic" pit stop near the race’s end to add a special liquid to hidden tanks, bringing the car up to legal weight in case of post-race inspection.
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| TYRRELL 012, Stefan Johansson Brands Hatch, British GP 1984 |
After the seventh race of the season, the Detroit Grand Prix, the Tyrrell cars were checked and found to meet the weight requirement. However, inspectors also examined the water tanks and discovered an unknown liquid containing tiny lead pellets. Further analysis in July revealed that during races, the cars had been topped up with this mixture to enrich the air in the intake trumpets, delaying engine detonation and enabling a higher compression ratio, thus more power.
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| TYRRELL 012, Stefan Bellof Imola, San Marino GP 1984 |
As a result, FISA excluded the Tyrrell team from the rest of the World Championship and annulled all the points scored by the team and its drivers. The cars were allowed to continue racing under appeal ("sub judice") until the Dutch Grand Prix on August 26. After reviewing the appeals, the disqualification was confirmed, and the team was excluded from the final three races.
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