Tyrrell 008

The Tyrrell 008 was a Formula One car manufactured and raced by the Tyrrell Racing Organisation team during the 1978 season. Driven by Didier Pironi and Patrick Depailler, it achieved several podium finishes including a win at the 1978 Monaco Grand Prix.

Tyrrell 008
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorTyrrell Racing Organisation
Designer(s)Maurice Philippe
PredecessorP34
Successor009
Technical specifications[1]
ChassisAluminium monocoque
Axle trackFront: 1,702 mm (67.0 in)
Rear: 1,600 mm (63 in)
Wheelbase2,700 mm (110 in)
EngineCosworth DFV V8 NA
TransmissionHewland FGA 400 5-speed manual
Weight590 kg (1,300 lb)
FuelElf
TyresGoodyear
Competition history
Notable entrantsElf Team Tyrrell
Notable drivers Didier Pironi
Patrick Depailler
Debut1978 Argentine Grand Prix
RacesWinsPolesF.Laps
16100
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

Development

The Tyrrell 008 was designed by Maurice Philippe to replace the six-wheeler Tyrrell P34 used the previous two seasons. It used an aluminum monocoque in front of a V8 Cosworth DFV.[2]

The 008 was originally conceived as a fan car, similar to the Brabham BT46. A small rear mounted fan had been developed to cool the oil and water radiators with the added bonus of aerodynamic downforce, but unlike Gordon Murray's effort, the team could not get the technology to work effectively. The car regularly overheated during testing and the fan was quietly dropped.[3]

Racing history

For 1978, Tyrrell brought in Didier Pironi to drive alongside Patrick Depailler.[2] The 008 made its debut in the season opening Argentine Grand Prix, where Depailler qualified 10th and finished in third. Although he retired from the following Brazilian Grand Prix, he recorded consecutive podiums at the next three events; a second in South Africa, a third in the United States and his maiden win in Monaco, where he achieved his best qualifying of the year, fifth. He scored three more points finishes during the remainder of the season, the best of these second in the Austrian Grand Prix. Reliability was an issue for he only finished eight races.[1]

Pironi was 23rd on the grid in Argentina and brought his car home in 14th place. He scored a point for sixth place at the next race in Brazil, the first of his five-point finishes for 1978. His best placing was 5th, achieved twice, in Monaco and Germany. His best qualifying was ninth, in Austria, one of only two races where he out-qualified Depailler.[1]

The team finished in fourth place in the Constructor's Championship with a total of 38 points. Depailler was fifth in the Driver's Championship with 34 points while Pironi was 15th with seven points.[4]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Entrant Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points WCC
1978 Elf Team Tyrrell Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN 38 4th
Didier Pironi 14 6 6 Ret 5 6 12 Ret 10 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 7
Patrick Depailler 3 Ret 2 3 1 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 2 Ret 11 Ret 5

Notes
  1. Stats F1. "Tyrrell 008". Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  2. Nye, 1985, p. 239
  3. "The Tyrrell 008 was originally a fan car". 1 June 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  4. Stats F1. "1978 season". Retrieved 3 June 2014.

References
  • Nye, Doug (1985). Autocourse History of the Grand Prix Car 1966 – 1985. Richmond, Surrey, United Kingdom: Hazelton Publishing. ISBN 0905138376.
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