The Tyrrell 002 emerged as an evolution of the successful Tyrrell 001, continuing a design philosophy established by Derek Gardner. The car was built to address the need for a chassis that could comfortably fit drivers of varying heights, specifically accommodating François Cevert who was taller than Jackie Stewart.
The Tyrrell 002 shared much of its underlying design with its predecessor, the 001. The key modification was the lengthening of the monocoque to provide increased space for the driver. [unverified] Specific engine details are not provided in the corpus.
In 1971, François Cevert was the sole driver of the 002 for the entire season. He retired from the South African Grand Prix due to an accident. Subsequent races saw mixed results, including a 7th-place finish in Spain, retirements in Monaco and the Netherlands, and a 2nd-place finish at the French Grand Prix behind teammate Jackie Stewart. Further races brought a 10th place in Britain, another 2nd place to Stewart in Germany, and an engine failure in Austria. Cevert achieved a 3rd-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix in a very close race, finishing alongside Peter Gethin, Ronnie Peterson, Mike Hailwood and Howden Ganley. The Canadian Grand Prix saw Cevert finish 6th after the race was stopped due to weather. Cevert secured his first and only Formula One victory at the 1971 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Stewart, experiencing tyre degradation, allowed Cevert to pass, recognizing the superior performance of Cevert’s Goodyear tyres in the heat. Cevert led the remainder of the race, even waving to the crowd as he crossed the finish line. After the race, Cevert stated, "I feel pretty good with a $50,000 win. I followed Stewart in the beginning and was flagged on ahead. Jackie Stewart is a very sensible driver and a very good teacher. He let me go through."
The 1972 season saw Cevert experience a challenging start with a gearbox failure in Argentina and a 9th-place finish in South Africa. An ignition failure in Spain and a non-classification in Monaco further hampered his campaign. He finished 2nd at the Belgian Grand Prix while Jackie Stewart was sidelined with a stomach ulcer. At the French Grand Prix, Cevert crashed the new Tyrrell 006 in practice and was forced to revert to the 002, finishing 4th. The British Grand Prix saw Cevert involved in an incident where Ronnie Peterson crashed into his parked car, along with Graham Hill’s Brabham. He finished 10th in Germany and 9th in Austria. The Italian Grand Prix marked the 002’s final race, as it was replaced by the Tyrrell 006 for the Canadian Grand Prix.
The corpus does not contain information regarding any regulatory outcomes resulting from the Tyrrell 002.
The Tyrrell 002’s legacy is noted in its later use in historic racing, where it won the 2011 Historic Formula One Championship. The corpus does not detail any direct influence on subsequent Tyrrell designs beyond its role as an evolution of the 001.
Across its Formula One career, the Tyrrell 002 scored 13 points, contributing to a total of 73 points scored by Tyrrell cars using the 001, 002 and 003 chassis in 1971 and 1972. In 1972, the 002 contributed 6 points to a total of 51 points scored by Tyrrell cars using the 002, 003, 004 and 005 chassis.