First coming in being in 1958, Tyrrell Racing first ran Formula Three cars for Ken Tyrrell and local stars. In typically forthright fashion, Tyrrell decided he was not racing driver material and stood down as a driver in 1959 to focus on the management side of racing. Throughout the 1960s, Tyrrell moved through the lower formulas, variously giving single-seater debuts to future champions John Surtees and Jacky Ickx.

What Tyrrell is most famed for, though, is its partnership with Jackie Stewart, who Tyrrell signed up in 1963. Tyrrell spotted Stewart's dormant talent and entered the Scotsman in Formula Three. Stewart made his F1 debut with BRM in 1965 but trusted Tyrrell's judgement and was prepared to gamble when his mentor decided to form a grand prix team in 1968. Tyrrell raced under the marque of ‘Matra International’, using a Matra chassis powered by a Ford-Cosworth engine. A strong first season saw Stewart win three races and finish second in the Championship (albeit by a large-at-the-time gap of twelve points), whilst Tyrrell’s team took third in the Constructors’ table. The following year, the Tyrrell- Stewart partnership won their first championship, dominating the 1969 season with six wins and one second-place from eleven.

Tyrrell gambled again at the end of 1970 when, not liking the performance of the Matra chassis, he built his own car in secret, before unveiling it to the astonishment of his competitors. Stewart would go to win two more titles in 1971 and 1973, whilst Tyrrell Racing would win their one and only Constructors’ title in 1971. Stewart's retirement at the end of 1973 marked the beginning of a slow decline for Tyrrell, though the team would remain a force throughout the 1970s.  Causing another sensation in 1976, Tyrrell he unveiled a six-wheeled F1 car, which many regarded as a gimmick until Jody Scheckter won the Swedish Grand Prix. The design was only abandoned after Goodyear refused to develop the small tyres needed for the car, too busy fighting the other tyre manufacturers.

After the turbo era dawned in Formula One, Tyrrell was the last team to race with the naturally-aspirated Cosworth DFV. It was the beginning of two decades of struggle for the team, which was often underfunded through lack of sponsorship. The last of 33 Grand Prix victories came in 1983 when Michele Alboreto won in Detroit. Tyrrell's staunchly British team was left behind by the rampant commercialism that boosted his rivals budgets, but the team fought on, gaining the odd good result with the likes of Jean Alesi. In 1997, Tyrrell finally sold the team to British American and the team completed its final season in 1998.