Arrows A21 Explained

Car Name:Arrows A21
Category:Formula One
Constructor:Arrows
Designer:Mike Coughlan
Eghbal Hamidy
Simon Jennings
Predecessor:A20
Successor:A22
Team:Arrows F1 Team
Technical Ref:[1]
Drivers:18. Pedro de la Rosa
19. Jos Verstappen
Chassis:Moulded carbon fibre composite structure
Front Suspension:Double wishbones, in-board spring dampers, pullrod
Rear Suspension:Double wishbones, in-board spring dampers, pushrod
Engine Name:Supertec FB02 (Renault) 71-degree V10
Power:780 hp @ 15,800 rpm[2]
Gearbox Name:Arrows/Xtrac carbon-fibre six-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic
Fuel:Elf
Tyres:Bridgestone
Debut:2000 Australian Grand Prix
Last Event:2000 Malaysian Grand Prix
Races:17
Wins:0
Cons Champ:0
Drivers Champ:0
Poles:0
Fastest Laps:0

The Arrows A21 was the car with which the Arrows Formula One team competed in the 2000 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa, in his second year with the team, and experienced Dutchman Jos Verstappen, who had driven for the team in its Footwork guise in .

The A21 was a completely new design by Coughlan and Eghbal Hamidy, who had designed the very similar looking Stewart SF3. The A21 benefitted from the revised Supertec engine and an excellent aerodynamic package with a much lower centre of gravity over its predecessor.[3] Work on the car started early as the team switched its focus from the aged A20 car.[4] A major injection of sponsorship from cell phone company Orange helped fund further development throughout the season.[5] Paul Stoddart's European Aviation also became sponsors, providing logistical and transportation support in addition to Stoddart's F3000 squad effectively becoming Arrows' junior team.[6]

The car proved to be very promising after the catastrophic 1999 season, but was too unreliable to score more than a handful of points-scoring finishes. Breaking the lap record in pre-season testing at Barcelona confirmed the car's potential.[7] De la Rosa looked set for podium finishes at Hockenheim and the A1-Ring, but lost time after a spin in the former and suffered a gearbox failure in the latter.[8] Verstappen also produced a number of impressive performances, including a memorable drive through the field in changeable weather conditions in Canada. His season culminated in fourth place at Monza. The A21 was also noted for consistently having amongst the highest straight-line speed of any car in the 2000 season. Both Verstappen and De La Rosa enjoyed driving the car, and both enthused about how fast it was, while Verstappen conceded that it was not at its best on high downforce tracks.[9]

Verstappen and De la Rosa enjoyed a good working relationship and the Dutchman was keen to remain with the team going forward.[10]

During the season, the team was the focus of a television documentary show, Racing Arrows. The series featured 13 episodes which followed the progress of the team and drivers throughout the season and was broadcast by British channel ITV in 2001.[11]

The team eventually finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship, with seven points.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

YearEntrantEngineTyresDrivers1234567891011121314151617PointsWCC
2000Arrows F1 TeamSupertec V10AUSBRASMRGBRESPEURMONCANFRAAUTGERHUNBELITAUSAJPNMAL77th
Pedro de la RosaRet8RetRetRet6DNSRetRetRet61616RetRet12Ret
Jos VerstappenRet714RetRetRetRet5RetRetRet13154RetRet10

References

Notes and References

  1. News: Repsol And A20 Continue To Paint Picture For Arrow . crash.net . crash.net . 13 February 1999 . 24 July 2019.
  2. Web site: Engine Supertec • STATS F1.
  3. Web site: The Orange Arrows A21s Were The Very Best Of The Formula 1 Team's Race Cars . petrolicious.com. 3 October 2019. 21 October 2020.
  4. Web site: Arrows A21. www.f1technical.net. 21 January 2020.
  5. Web site: Arrows A21 Car for Sale. Memento Exclusives. 21 January 2020. 4 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161104004848/http://www.mementoexclusives.com/f1-cars-for-sale/arrows-a21/. dead.
  6. Web site: European Confirmed As Arrows Juniors.. 9 December 1999. crash.net. 21 January 2020.
  7. Web site: February Test Times Analysis. www.atlasf1.com. 2 July 2020.
  8. Web site: The Orange Arrows A21s Were The Very Best Of The Formula 1 Team's Race Cars. 3 October 2019. 21 January 2020.
  9. Web site: The 2000 Teams Review . Atlas F1 . 7 November 2014.
  10. Web site: Verstappen -- "I want to stay at Arrows". 25 August 2000. www.grandprix.com. 21 January 2020.
  11. Web site: Racing Arrows (partially found Formula One TV series; 2001) - The Lost Media Wiki. lostmediawiki.com. 24 January 2020.