SEPTEMBER 9, 1996
Tyrrell in trouble?
THE Tyrrell team seems to be in serious trouble for the future - particularly if Yamaha has done an engine deal with Tom Walkinshaw's Arrows team.
We hear from Japanese sources that wherever the Yamaha engines go Ukyo Katayama goes with them, and if Ukyo goes so too does his budget from Japan Tobacco's Mild Seven brand. The team does not currently have an tire deal for next year, although Ken Tyrrell has been talking a great deal at recent races with Goodyear trying to get the company to expand its planned supply to include his team as well.
In addition to all this Tyrrell is in dispute with the other F1 teams over the Concorde Agreement and stands to lose out financially unless it is admitted as a signatory to the new Agreement. Tyrrell appears to be eager to do that - but it remains to be seen whether the other teams will be willing to accept Tyrrell back into the fold.
Things have not been helped this year by the extremely poor results, caused largely by the large number of Yamaha engine failures and the lack of development of the engines which has resulted from these.
The team's major plus point is that it has signed Mika Salo for another season - although there were rumors at Monza that the Finn's contract might be for sale at the right price.
The team is also believed to be negotiating with new sponsors. At Monza there was a party from the PIAA company - which supported Tyrrell in the days when Satoru Nakajima was driving for the team. Nakajima is now promoting the career of young racer Taranosuke Takagi, who hopes to break into F1 next season.