As if the loss of almost all sponsors after the disappointing 1995 championship wasn’t enough, the end of the 1996 season brought further concerns for old Ken Tyrrell, who saw Yamaha’s support slipping out of his hands. The Japanese engine supplier, in fact, preferred to back Walkinshaw’s project and his new TWR-Arrows team, leaving the historic Ockham-based squad in Surrey without a competitive power unit. With no other engine suppliers available, and more importantly, without a solid project and financially “capable” sponsors, Tyrrell had no choice but to turn to Cosworth, settling for the old Ford ED4 V8, a 2994 cc engine producing only 665 hp at 13,700 rpm, undoubtedly more reliable than the previous Yamaha V10 but far less competitive.
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| TYRRELL 025, Jos Verstappen Silverstone, British GP 1997 |
With very limited funds, the new Tyrrell 025, designed by Technical Director Harvey Postlethwaite, assisted by Chief Aerodynamic Engineer Mike Gascoyne, was a simple evolution of its predecessor, the 024. For a few months, Tim Densham also collaborated on the project; he had held various roles in Formula 1 since 1984, first with Lotus and later with Brabham, where he even served as a designer alongside Sergio Rinland during the twilight years of the legendary British team. Postlethwaite’s innovative ideas, evident since his Hesketh days, could also be admired on the new 025, particularly in the front section, which featured a completely new nose design. Because of its unusual aerodynamic shape, the 025 divided fans: some found it beautiful, while others considered it downright ugly, with its high, pointed nose attached to the front wing by a wide central pillar reminiscent of the one seen on the 1991 Footwork FA12, giving the 025 a shark-like appearance.
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| TYRRELL 025, Jos Verstappen Buenos Aires, Argentinian GP 1997 |
Postlethwaite also exploited a loophole in the regulations that banned additional wing elements, such as the third wing mounted above the engine cover seen on the 1995 McLaren MP4/9, by inventing the so-called “X-Wings” or “Chandeliers.” To generate extra downforce, he designed two supplementary wings placed on either side of the cockpit, supported by thin struts so they sat exactly at the outer edges of the sidepods and level with the rear wing, an area not covered by the regulations. This solution proved complex to implement and penalizing in terms of drag, but it was very effective on high-downforce circuits. Another aerodynamic novelty on the 025 were two small winglets mounted on the nose sides to improve airflow towards the rear of the car. Initially mocked by insiders, these innovations were later copied once their effectiveness became apparent. Minardi immediately adopted the nose winglets, while Ferrari, Sauber, Prost, and Jordan were among the first teams to develop their own versions of Postlethwaite’s chandeliers. Eddie Jordan himself publicly admitted that his cars had gained a tangible performance advantage from these new aerodynamic appendages. However, for safety reasons, the FIA definitively banned “X-Wings” after the 1998 San Marino Grand Prix.
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| TYRRELL 025, Jos Verstappen Buenos Aires, GP d'Argentina 1997 |
For the 1997 season, Finnish driver Mika Salo was retained, while the second car was entrusted to Dutchman Jos Verstappen, arriving from Arrows. Japanese driver Toranosuke Takagi, brought in the previous year by Yamaha, remained with the team as well. Despite the end of the Yamaha partnership, Tyrrell maintained ties with Japanese partners thanks to former driver Satoru Nakajima, now serving as team manager, and sponsors PIAA and Tamiya. At the first test session of the 025 at Silverstone, despite the typically adverse English weather, the car immediately showed good handling and reliability, largely thanks to the Ford-Cosworth engine which, while less powerful than the 1996 Yamaha, at least allowed the team to finish races. Ford engineers on-site during winter testing also announced an upgraded ED5 version, offering an extra twenty horsepower, to be ready for the first European races. Mechanically, however, the new 025 differed very little from the previous car, which itself borrowed heavily from the 1995 023. With an outdated mechanical base, an underpowered though reliable engine, and unproven aerodynamic solutions, the 025 was destined to be one of the slowest cars on the grid, and the 1997 season was a true disaster for Tyrrell, with only one standout performance at the Monaco Grand Prix.
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| TYRRELL 025, Mika Salo Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1997 |
In heavy rain, thanks to a bold strategy, Mika Salo finished 5th without making a single pit stop, crossing the line on completely destroyed tires, a remarkable feat that earned the English team their only two points of the season. This was also the last points finish for Ken Tyrrell’s legendary team, which ended the season tenth in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead only of Minardi and Lola, the latter failing to contest even a single race in 1997.
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