If the 1987 season had been quite encouraging for Ken Tyrrell's team, 1988 marked a marked step back. The 017 never managed to function properly, and in the summer the designer Postlethwaite was already working on the new car. The team also modified the 017 (which became 017B) with which it competed for the first part of the 1989 season. Michele Alboreto, Julian Bailey and Jonathan Palmer drove the 017.