Tyrrell 024
Tyrrell 024 Grand Prix of Germany 1996
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The Tyrrell 024 was a racing car of British motor sport teams Tyrrell, which was used in the Formula 1 1996 season at 16 Grand Prix. It was the last vehicle of the team that implemented an engine from Yamaha. Tyrrell scored five points with the 024
Construction
The Tyrrell 024 was like the previous models of the 1994 (022) and 1995 ( 023) a construction of Harvey Postlethwaite, who had returned after a stint at Ferrari and Sauber late 1993 Tyrrell and become in the following years the shareholders of the racing team. In these two models built of 024 technically for. He was regarded as a mere evolution of the 1994 concept and was described as " simple car " and " low-risk project".
The aerodynamics of the 024 was designed by Mike Gascoyne. Wind tunnel tests were conducted in Southampton, after Tyrrell had abandoned the previous alliance with the Italian suppliers Fondmetal end of 1995, for reasons of cost. Externally the 024 differed from its predecessor mainly due to the high, pointed front end that recalled the successful concept of the Tyrrell 019 (1990).
Instead of that used in the previous year ineffective Hydra link suspension used the 024 a conventional suspension, consisting of three springs. The third spring should pick up the pitching motion of the vehicle.
She was equipped with a ten-cylinder engine from Yamaha, which was made available to the team as in previous years, free of charge and exclusive use. In fact, these were a design by John Judd, the latter established in Rugby operating Engine Developments was established in 1992 under the name " Judd " Formula 1 engines. From 1993, Judd worked with the Japanese company Yamaha, who financed the project engine and technically supported in detail. The 1996 engines of the type OX11A had been completely redesigned. A special feature cylinder heads were made of magnesium. Judd and Yamaha put emphasis on high speed and low weight. Supposedly, the engine weighed only 99 kg. Later investigations revealed that that only the weight of the block including cylinders and crankshaft was meant, while all mounting parts such as exhaust and engine management in the weight determination were left out of consideration. The force was transmitted through a longitudinally oriented six-speed gearbox.
The Yamaha engine has proved to be unreliable; he became a " problem child of the team". Numerous failures were directly or indirectly due to engine failure. When Yamaha announced in late 1996 to deliver the engines from 1997 with costs, Tyrrell ended the existing four years connection with the Japanese company.
Racing applications
Tyrrell introduced the 024 on 30 January 1996 in London, six weeks before the first race of the new season. The team had a few sponsors. Nokia, the main sponsor of the previous year, had the contract not be renewed with Tyrrell, after the team was in 1995 moved only three times in the points and had occupied with five championship points in ninth place in the constructors' standings. The largest donor of the team was in 1996, the Japanese cigarette manufacturer Japan Tobacco, the same time also Benetton supported. Tyrrell he promoted to a much lesser extent than the world champion team, Benetton; here was only the cockpit rim painted in the colors of the cigarette brand Mild Seven. In countries where tobacco advertising was banned, the brand name was replaced by the text " TYRRELL ". Other smaller donors were Korean Air and Motorola. The side boxes and the hood were free of Sonsporaufklebern in most races.
Driver Mika Salo and Ukyo Katayama were, as a test and reserve driver Emmanuel Collard was named, but the came into use in any race.
Tyrrell surprised the experts with exceptionally good lap times in testing before the season starts; the 024 was about as fast as the cars of the top teams. In the press there have been suggestions that the driving test were carried out with low weight and with specially prepared engines to attract potential sponsors for the team. During the season, let these results repeat neither race nor at the tests. For financial reasons, the team took from the summer of 1996 no more test drives. The lack of testing had a negative effect on the competitiveness of the car; in particular it is not the team was able to gain experience and to determine the causes for the numerous failures.
Mika Salo, the top drivers of the team that came to the season opener in Australia in sixth and in the following race in Brazil as fifth. At the Monaco Grand Prix, in which only three cars reached the finish, Salo fell out before the race ended by a driver error, because of the short distance he was, however, regarded as a fifth. Further results in the points did not exist. Katayama never came in the points to the finish. His best result was the seventh place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Starting with the race in Argentina, he retired nine in a row. At the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring both Tyrrell were disqualified because of Salo underweight cars and Katayama for use outside help. In Spain there was another disqualification: Salo was excluded from the race because he had illegally changed the use chassis after the formation lap.
At the end of Tyrrell finished with five points in eighth place in the constructors' standings. It finished the season off to Arrows and Minardi.