The Tyrrell 025 is a noteworthy racing car for two reasons. The first being that it scored the team's last Formula 1 points before Ken Tyrrell sold it to British American Racing (BAR) in 1998. The second is that it introduced the controversial "X-Wing" into the sport.
Never a team to stop innovating, the Tyrrell outfit in 1997 came up with an interesting aerodynamic solution for increasing downforce levels around tight and twisty circuits such as Monaco. Basically a small set of wings mounted above the sidepods on either side of the cockpit, these "Tyrrell Towers" – or "X-Wings" as they later become known – were derided by fans but quickly copied by other teams looking to eek out any advantage.
The cars of Ferrari, Sauber, Prost and Jordan were soon seen sporting their own versions of Tyrrell's innovation. Jordan team boss Eddie Jordan went on the record saying that his cars did actually get a real performance advantage from fitting them. Unfortunately for him and the others, the FIA banned "X-Wings" after the 1998 San Marino Grand Prix on safety grounds as one was accidentally ripped off a Sauber during a pit-stop.
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