By Carl Springer
F1 is a sport of innovation. Teams trying to find any ways to gain a miniscule part of a second which could be the difference between glory and heartache. Over the years we’ve seen some wacky ideas but none more so than the Tyrell P34. So let’s take a look at the 6 wheeled car that went down in the history books.
Design
During the mid-1970s innovation was at an all time high in the sport and with the brains of legendary team principal Ken Tyrell and chief engineer Derek Gardner the six wheeled car was unveiled in September 1975 with the intention of running it in the 1976 season. With Formula One rules at the time stating that the front wing of a car could be a maximum of 1.5 metres wide it meant that front tyres would be projected and out to the side of the front wing. To get round this Tyrell had a genius idea and rather than use four conventionally sized wheels they decided to use six smaller wheels allowing the front wheels to fully fit behind the front wing. The benefits of this included lower drag making the car quicker on the straights, clearing aerodynamics more effectively meaning drivers would experience less dirty air from other competitors and offering more total break area allowing the drivers to be braver and brake later than most four wheeled cars. The car was unveiled at Heathrow Hotel in late September 1975 and hit the track for the first time in a test at Silverstone on 8th October of the same year. Many thought it was a publicity stunt however the Surrey based outfit were soon going to put all that speculation to bed.
Performance
As always, a new design of car in Formula One brings with it a wave of anticipation. Will it be a success or a massive failure? Well, the six-wheeler would be brought in for the fourth round of the 1976 season in Spain where it immediately looked competitive. Despite this the debut of this bizarre piece of machinery would end in disappointment as both cars would retire. It wouldn’t be until round six of the season where the team would show that the six-wheeler was no gimmick and instead a stroke of genius. At the sport’s most prestigious race, the P34 would taste podium success for the first time around the streets of Monaco and not just with one car but both. Future world champion Jody Scheckter would take home second place with teammate Patrick Depailler coming home a place behind in third. The six-wheeler had arrived and the momentum from Monte Carlo continued into the Swedish Grand Prix where the team went one better and took it’s first victory in a 1-2 finish, Scheckter once again leading Depailler home. Once the curtain had come down on the final race of the season in Japan everyone could safely say the six-wheeler was a genius piece of innovation. Despite struggling at tracks with varied grip, it excelled at tracks with long straights leading the team to a third-place finish in the constructor’s championship. Scheckter would finish third in the driving standings with his French teammate one place behind. Despite this the South African would describe the car as “a piece of junk”. On the contrary, Depailler would regularly praise the car. However, despite the criticism from one side of the garage the car produced one win and eight podiums making it an undeniable success and arguably the greatest piece of innovation the sport has ever seen.
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