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The designer Derek Gardner, at the end of 1975, decided that reduction in drag, improved cornering power and increased braking grip were three major factors which required improvement over the previous years car. 4 smaller wheels at the front seemed a logical solution to all these problems.
Calculations proved that the lower frontal area provided by the smaller tyres would reduce the drag and would be equivalent to a power gain between 10 - 15 bhp. In practice the rear tyres were unchanged and still provided the same frontal area. Goodyear were asked to produce the tyre in secret for Tyrrell and the small brake calipers which fitted inside the wheels were developed from those used on the Mini Cooper.
The car proved successful in testing, but the testing provided a few problems which needed to be overcome before the car was fit for it's first race. Consequently it missed the first two races but took part in the Swedish GP and won first time out at the hands of Jody Scheckter.
After that initial success the car earned 9 second places and 9 other places during the rest of the season. Scheckter and Depailler took third and fourth places in the drivers championship that year behind James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
The main reason the car's performance was not able to be maintained throughout the whole season was due to the lack of development which Goodyear were able to offer the team. The information received by Goodyear from the other teams taking part that year, enabled them to develop the 20 inch tyres much quicker than the 16 inch ones used exclusively on the front end of the Tyrrell. The early advantage enjoyed by Tyrrell was gradually eroded away as the other teams took advantage of the ever more effective tyres on offer to them from Goodyear.
The car will always be remembered as an ingenious and brilliant peace of automotive design.
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