The 1989 season for the British team Tyrrell Racing Organisation began with the significant news of signing a top-level driver, former Ferrari man Michele Alboreto, who had achieved numerous successes with the Maranello team. The Italian was joined by the confirmed British driver Jonathan Palmer, in his third and final season with the team based in Ockham, Surrey, England.
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| TYRRELL 018, Johnny Herbert Estoril, Portuguese GP 1989 |
The new car, designed by technical director Harvey Postlethwaite and chief designer Jean-Claude Migeot specifically for the 1989 championship, was not yet ready for the season’s opening race, held in Brazil on March 26 at the Jacarepaguá circuit. As a result, the two drivers used the “B” version of the previous 017, only slightly revised compared to the 1988 model, and it hit the track in an entirely black livery, missing the rear section of the bodywork to better dissipate heat due to the scorching Brazilian temperatures in March.
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| TYRRELL 017B, Michele Alboreto Jacarepaguà, Brazilian GP 1989 |
From the second race of the championship, the San Marino Grand Prix at the Imola circuit, the new Tyrrell 018 was introduced. Postlethwaite and Migeot updated the previous carbon fiber monocoque chassis to create a single-seater with an elegant appearance, thanks to its clean and streamlined lines. The new nose was particularly narrow and elongated, the sidepods were rounded and smooth, with a tapered rear bodywork covering the gearbox and suspension entirely, reaching the end of the diffuser ramp. The livery returned to the classic Tyrrell blue with yellow from the Camel sponsor covering the engine cover and rear wing.
TYRRELL 018, Jonathan Palmer
Paul Ricard, French GP 1989
The carefully designed aerodynamics of the 018 made it one of the fastest cars among those equipped with the customer-spec 3494 cc Ford-Cosworth V8 engine, which that year reached the DFR specification and was capable of delivering 620 hp. The historic British engine supplier’s unit was paired with a new six-speed gearbox built in-house by Tyrrell. The 018 had a wheelbase of 2920 mm, a weight of 510 kg, was fitted with Goodyear tires, and was driven not only by Jonathan Palmer and Michele Alboreto but also by two rookie drivers: Frenchman Jean Alesi and Briton Johnny Herbert, who took over the car after Alboreto left the team starting from the seventh race of the season.
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| TYRRELL 018, Jean Alesi Adelaide, Australian GP 1989 |
The Tyrrell 018 proved to be a decent car, even achieving a podium finish with Alboreto in the Mexican Grand Prix and delivering good results, especially with Alesi, who scored 8 points in his debut Formula 1 season. The young Frenchman finished ninth in the drivers' standings, just three points behind Piquet and first among the “midfield” team drivers, despite having competed in only eight Grands Prix. Ken Tyrrell’s team ended the season with a surprising fifth place in the constructors' standings, collecting an impressive 16 points, one more than the more renowned Lotus team.
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