- 21 January 1997 - Launch report
Tyrrell
confident line-up will bring results
LONDON
(Jan 21, 1997 - 12:06 EST) - Formula One team owner Ken Tyrrell launched his Ford-powered challenge for this year's world championship with a powerful battle cry.
Tyrrell,
72, who looked curiously at home despite his age in the glitzy surroundings of London's Capital Radio, struck a confident note as his team looked ahead to their 30th year of grand prix racing.
"Our
aim in 1997 is to finish every race and to score world championship points in at least half of the 17 events," he said.
"With
our latest chassis and Ford's latest V8 engine, together with two genuine racing talents in the cockpit, I am sure those dual goals will be achieved.
"The
car is a big step forward for us in that we think we have got a good one. I think we have now got an engine which is capable of running with most of the others in Formula One and we have competitive drivers."
The
team will be led on the track by Finland's Mika Salo and Dutchman Jos Verstappen, two of the most talented of the younger generation of F1 drivers. Tyrrell is confident they can deliver the results he seeks.
"They
are drivers who have shown the motor racing fraternity they are capable of driving at the highest level and I think it is the strongest driver line-up we have had for many years. We look forward to a few podium finishes.
"Everything
points to the fact that we made the right decisions in so many areas...The first race in Melbourne will show us how many of the teams have made the right decisions and I think we have."
Tyrrell
said new signing Verstappen, drafted in to replace Japanese Ukyo Nakajima, would make a key difference. Verstappen, 24, is expected to give the more-established Salo, 30, a strong competitive sense of rivalry in the team.
"Jos
was in a relatively uncompetitive car last year but has performed quite brilliantly," said Tyrrell. "We have been trying to sign him up since August last year and it took us until December to achieve that.
"We
think he has the potential to be a winner."
Tyrrell's
managing director in charge of engineering, Harvey Postlethwaite, was also in upbeat mood.
"I
think we have built a better car than last year," he said. "Much of the car's basic structure is closely related to the 1996 car but it is dressed in a new set of clothes.
"I
think our drivers will be able to extract the maximum performance from it for the duration of a race."
Tyrrell
have won three drivers' championships and two constructors' titles, all in the 1970s but have not won a race since Italian Michele Alboreto triumphed in Detroit in 1983. |
