A group that started its time in Components 1 underneath controversial circumstances, Arrows’ 24-year spell within the championship got here to an finish in 2002 amid mounting monetary issues.
Nonetheless the group with essentially the most world championship race begins (counting the Footwork years) underneath its belt – at 382 – with out ever taking a victory, Arrows got here near troubling the highest step of the rostrum all through its curious historical past – however fell brief every time.
The British squad, began up by former Lotus F1 driver Jackie Oliver, Alan Rees and Franco Ambrosio, went by a number of possession modifications in its latter years. It spent six seasons as Footwork within the Nineteen Nineties, earlier than Tom Walkinshaw took over for 1997 and restored the Arrows title.
Though the group made an encouraging begin underneath his tenure, with the Scot’s funding serving to to carry 1996 champion Damon Hill and famed designer John Barnard into the group, it arguably over-reached its capabilities with an in-house engine mission.
The long run briefly regarded brilliant having claimed a title sponsorship take care of telecoms big Orange forward of the brand new millennium, however Arrows – and Tom Walkinshaw Racing – started to hit cash troubles and thus closed its doorways in the midst of the 2002 season.
20 years on, it’s excessive time to rank the group’s drivers. In contrast to lots of our earlier lists, there’s no win depend to assist – and thus it proved a tough activity to give you a definitive high 10…
10. Christian Fittipaldi
Fittipaldi made an excellent impression throughout his single season with the group in 1994, peaking with fourth in Aida
Picture by: Motorsport Pictures
Arrows/Footwork 12 months: 1994
Arrows/Footwork begins: 16
Factors with group: 6
Nephew of two-time champion Emerson, Christian Fittipaldi was underrated throughout his time in F1 and got here to Footwork’s consideration after his heroics with Minardi.
Fittipaldi set an instantaneous impression on becoming a member of Footwork in 1994, profiting from a good FA15 penned by Alan Jenkins on a comparatively tight finances. Though outqualified by Gianni Morbidelli within the Interlagos season-opener, Fittipaldi eleventh to Morbidelli’s sixth, the Brazilian reversed the injury by claiming ninth on the grid subsequent day out after which charged to a wonderful fourth within the Pacific Grand Prix at Aida.
The Footworks lined up sixth and seventh at Monaco, Fittipaldi as soon as once more forward of Morbidelli, however the former’s gearbox packed up whereas working in fifth place – with a really actual probability of a podium end taken away. Sixth on the Canadian GP for Fittipaldi was then chalked off as a result of his FA15 was underweight.
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The automobile then proved uncompetitive at Magny-Cours and Silverstone, as Footwork regarded set for a gradual hunch into the decrease midfield reaches because the group struggled to take care of the myriad emergency modifications made to the vehicles on security grounds following the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola.
However the group benefited from a sequence of pile-ups in the beginning of the German GP at Hockenheim, which proved to be an attrition-hit affair. Fittipaldi and Morbidelli saved their Footworks on the street to bag fourth and fifth respectively, netting a good haul of factors to carry the group above Minardi within the standings.
Fittipaldi upped sticks to race in CART for 1995. Footwork, at that time choosing extra monied drivers as cashflow grew to become extra precarious, signed Taki Inoue.
9. Gianni Morbidelli
Morbidelli ended his two-year spell on a excessive with a podium within the 1995 Australian Grand Prix
Picture by: Sutton Pictures
Arrows/Footwork years: 1994-95
Arrows/Footwork begins: 26
Factors with group: 8
In contrast to Fittipaldi, Morbidelli stayed on for 1995 to proceed his good work, however it was a barely extra fraught expertise as cash troubles continued to escalate.
After having fun with a powerful preliminary a part of the 1994 season, Morbidelli places the lack of efficiency within the FA15 all the way down to the mandated diffuser cuts among the many security modifications made mid-season. Regardless, the Italian had three factors to his title that 12 months, including to his two factors from Germany with a sixth at Spa.
Morbidelli continued his ubiquity within the midfield in 1995 and was round three seconds sooner than Inoue in qualifying for the opening three rounds. However regardless of Morbidelli’s finest efforts in qualifying persistently between eleventh and 14th within the opening occasions, Footwork couldn’t get onto the scoresheet till the sixth race of the 12 months at Montreal.
There, the Pesaro-born driver was the primary of the lapped runners in an attritional Canadian GP, however nonetheless saved Tyrrell’s Mika Salo out of the highest six. However after the subsequent race at Magny-Cours, Morbidelli was benched as Footwork wanted Max Papis’s cash to remain afloat.
However Papis was a big downgrade on his countryman, and was even outqualified by Inoue in Hungary, Belgium and Portugal. Oliver made the choice to recall Morbidelli for the final a part of the season after seven races away.
In his final race on the squad, Morbidelli bagged third in a madcap season finale at Adelaide, he and second-placed Olivier Panis two laps down on winner Hill. Following Oliver’s sale of the group to Walkinshaw, Morbidelli was not retained and his F1 profession ended with a bit-part – and injury-hit – marketing campaign at Sauber in 1997.
8. Jos Verstappen
Arduous-trying Verstappen’s effort couldn’t be faulted throughout his two spells with the group, though alternatives to attain factors had been uncommon
Picture by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Pictures
Arrows/Footwork years: 1996, 2000-01
Arrows/Footwork begins: 50
Factors with group: 7
After beginning his F1 profession with Benetton, Verstappen was farmed out to Simtek for 1995 earlier than becoming a member of Footwork for 1996.
Regardless of an underpowered and unreliable automobile, Verstappen was capable of haul it into the midfield throughout qualifying. He outqualified each McLarens at Buenos Aires, taking seventh on the grid and held on to document one among 4 finishes by the 12 months – grabbing a powerful sixth forward of David Coulthard and Panis’s Ligier. It was to be the group’s solely level of the 12 months, as Walkinshaw determined to take a position into 1997 somewhat than replace the automobile.
Verstappen joined Tyrrell for 1997, did a half-season with Stewart after which threw his lot in with Honda’s abortive F1 mission earlier than returning to Arrows for 2000.
By then, Walkinshaw had cancelled the troubled Brian Hart-led in-house engine mission to select up a provide of Supertec engines, which powered the group’s nimble A21. Elevating the group to a factors contender after a 12 months of battling the Minardis on the again, Arrows’ energy was in straightline pace, whereas Verstappen was evenly matched in opposition to Pedro de la Rosa.
De la Rosa bought the group off the mark with sixth on the Nurburgring, as Verstappen adopted that up two races later with fifth in Canada. The Spanish driver impressed with fifth in qualifying for the German GP, taking sixth in a rain-hit race after which outqualifying Verstappen within the subsequent three rounds.
However the Dutchman proved stronger within the races, taking fourth at Monza as de la Rosa was worn out in an enormous first-lap crash on the Variante della Roggia. De la Rosa was dropped on the eve of 2001 as Pink Bull stumped up the money to get Enrique Bernoldi within the automobile.
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That 12 months’s A22 was much less potent than its predecessor, partly owing to Asiatech’s ex-Peugeot engines powering the automobile. It additionally had a smaller gas tank relative to the opposite vehicles on the grid, and thus Verstappen’s early-race costs by the order with a lighter automobile made him a fixture on the sharp finish of the sector… earlier than tumbling down once more.
Arrows scored a solitary level in 2001 by Verstappen in Austria, however was let go as Heinz-Harald Frentzen got here in to interchange him.
7. Marc Surer
Surer discovered factors arduous to return by in 1984’s A7 because the group started its BMW-powered period
Picture by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Pictures
Arrows years: 1982-84, 1986
Arrows begins: 47
Factors with group: 8
The Swiss driver was a part of BMW’s junior squad within the Nineteen Seventies earlier than graduating to F1 with the uncompetitive Ensign outfit in 1979. A season with Gunther Schmid’s ATS squad was interrupted in a leg-breaking shunt at Kyalami, however Surer was again after three races on the therapy desk. He returned to Ensign for the primary half of 1981 the place he scored 4 factors, earlier than becoming a member of Theodore Racing for the second half.
Arrows was sufficiently impressed to carry him into the group for 1982, however one other Kyalami crash in pre-season testing delayed his begin with the group by 4 races. Surer instructed F1’s Past the Grid podcast that he’d “misplaced some motion” in his legs after these crashes and discovered to drive round these limitations, grabbing seventh on his return on the Belgian GP.
Though the Arrows A4 was not notably profitable, it had reliability in its favour and Surer bought the group off the mark in Canada with fifth place. He took a 3rd level of the 12 months at Hockenheim from twenty sixth (and final) on the grid.
Surer kicked off 1983 in good kind, taking 4 factors from the primary 4 races, however then factors shortly started to elude he and team-mate Thierry Boutsen. Goodyear launched a brand new development of tyre to suit the turbo vehicles, and Surer says this took away a few of his confidence within the automobile.
Within the early a part of 1984, as Arrows endured with the A6 earlier than introducing the turbo BMW-powered A7, Boutsen had began to outperform Surer – earlier than the brand new automobile’s unreliability usually left each retiring early. Surer grabbed his solely level of the 12 months with sixth on the Osterreichring, with Boutsen fifth, earlier than leaving Arrows on the finish of the season as Gerhard Berger got here in for 1985.
Surer had no drive for 1985, however was drafted into the BMW-powered Brabham group after Francois Hesnault underperformed. With minimal testing Surer picked up 5 factors that 12 months, incomes a reprieve with Arrows for 1986.
He did 5 races in a poor automobile earlier than a rally crash claimed the lifetime of his co-driver and pal Michel Wyder, leaving Surer with severe accidents that pressured him to surrender on F1 for good.
6. Thierry Boutsen
Boutsen scored his first F1 podium with Arrows at Imola in 1985 and used it as a launching pad for a transfer to Benetton
Picture by: Motorsport Pictures
Arrows years: 1983-86
Arrows begins: 57
Factors with group: 16
Granted his F1 debut by Arrows halfway by 1983, Boutsen scored no factors in his first 12 months with the group however impressed by matching Surer for tempo throughout the season. Thus, he earned an prolonged deal for 1984, the place the Belgian kicked off the 12 months with sixth in Brazil and a fifth at Imola earlier than the squad switched from the usually aspirated A6 to the BMW turbo A7.
However the brand new automobile and new engine had been affected by persistent unreliability and, regardless of the BMW M12/13 boasting properly over 1000bhp, Arrows struggled to get one of the best out of it. Boutsen bought fifth in Austria, beating Surer by one place, and stayed on for 1985 alongside the incoming Berger.
Boutsen fairly simply had the measure of Berger of their 12 months collectively, outqualifying the Austrian rookie 12-4 and outscoring him by 11-3 throughout the season – the spotlight being his second at Imola.
Surer returned to accomplice Boutsen for 1986, however the A8 was starting to point out its age and the Heini Mader-prepared BMWs had been falling behind the works models of Brabham and Benetton.
After Surer departed following his rally crash and was changed by 1985 F3000 champion Christian Danner, Boutsen had extra stiff competitors – and Danner bagged the group’s solely level as a mid-season change to the A9 chassis proved to be a catastrophe, forcing Arrows to press the A8 again into service.
It was a depressing manner for Boutsen to finish his time at Arrows after a brilliant begin with the group, however his performances had nonetheless earned him a change to Benetton.
5. Jochen Mass
Mass took his first of three factors completed in 1979 with Arrows at Monaco within the final look for the outdated A1
Picture by: David Phipps
Arrows years: 1979-80
Arrows begins: 24
Factors with group: 7
An F1 winner by the point he joined Arrows, albeit underneath harrowing circumstances within the 1975 Spanish GP, Mass had loved three stable years at McLaren earlier than a dreadful 1978 with ATS – which introduced him to Arrows instead of countryman Rolf Stommelen.
Instantly on tempo with Riccardo Patrese, Mass took his first F1 level in over a 12 months with sixth at Monaco after outqualifying his youthful team-mate – the group’s final race with the A1 chassis earlier than shifting to the low-slung, bullet-like A2. However though the brand new automobile’s devotion to producing ground-effects aero was vital, it was considerably tougher to drive than the outdated one.
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In qualifying, the A2 was worse than the outdated automobile; Mass’ qualifying common with the A1B stood at sixteenth place, whereas he was a mean of twenty first with the A2. That he did not qualify for the Canadian GP, whereas Patrese took the A1B to 14th on the grid, arguably mentioned one thing concerning the A2’s troubles.
And but, Mass dragged the gold A2 to 2 sixth-place finishes, partially helped by attrition but in addition a consequence that may be attributed to the veteran German’s canniness.
He had a greater preliminary run with 1980’s A3, taking sixth at Kyalami and fourth at Monaco, however needed to take two races out after an harm sustained in an Osterreichring apply crash wherein he rolled his automobile a number of occasions. He returned for the final two races of the 12 months however departed on the finish of the season to drive Porsche’s 936 sportscar.
4. Eddie Cheever
Cheever shaped one half of arguably Arrows’ strongest line-up alongside Derek Warwick and scored two podiums – beating the Briton to 3rd at Monza in 1987
Picture by: Motorsport Pictures
Arrows years: 1987-89
Arrows begins: 46
Factors with group: 20
Arrows rang the modifications for 1987 after such a poor season, bringing in a brand new driving line-up of Eddie Cheever and Derek Warwick, whereas a younger Ross Brawn got here in to supervise the design of the A10 – the A9 inflicting former technical director Dave Wass to stroll out on the group.
The brand new driver pairing was extremely properly matched and, though Warwick had the sting in qualifying head-to-heads, Cheever bettered the Brit on factors of their first 12 months collectively. The American took fourth on the Belgian GP and sixth in Detroit, as Warwick wanted till Silverstone to get his first factors with the automobile. Cheever then claimed sixth in Portugal later within the 12 months and one other fourth in Mexico, outscoring Warwick 8-3.
However Warwick discovered an additional gear within the following season, the final of the unique turbo period, as Arrows continued with the now Megatron-badged BMWs. It had been transformative in fortunes, as Cheever wasn’t capable of hit the heights of his team-mate as persistently. However after engine specialist Mader solved the pop-off valve points that precluded the Arrows from working at full increase, Cheever powered to 3rd at Monza – a scant half-second up the street from Warwick. Their outcomes culminated in Arrows’ best-ever season with fifth within the constructors’ title and 23 factors.
The duo stayed for the pure usually aspirated period, with Brawn’s A11 powered by the ever present Ford Cosworth DFR. Cheever was significantly poorer in qualifying in comparison with Warwick in 1989, being outqualified in all however one race and was even outpaced by stand-in rookie Martin Donnelly in France when Warwick was out with a again harm.
However for all of his qualifying travails, Cheever nonetheless collected one other podium with third on his house streets of Phoenix, including a fifth at Hungary to his tally. After 1989, Cheever moved again to the US to hitch Chip Ganassi Racing in CART.
3. Damon Hill
Hill did not get the win Arrows craved, however got here very shut on the Hungaroring in 1997
Picture by: Motorsport Pictures
Arrows years: 1997
Arrows begins: 16
Factors with group: 7
Of all Arrows’ close to misses, Hill’s 1997 Hungarian GP exploits had been closest to granting the group its first win. The celebrities appeared to have aligned when the reigning champion certified third and his Bridgestone tyres had been on tune amid sizzling circumstances, carrying him into the lead that regarded set to be transformed into the group’s maiden triumph. Then got here the hydraulic problem that decimated Hill’s tempo, leaving him straightforward pickings for Jacques Villeneuve to swoop and snatch away victory – a 50p washer the wrongdoer in denying Hill, who finally completed second.
After being dropped by Williams in his title-winning 12 months for Frentzen, Hill opted to signal for Arrows as Walkinshaw had him bought on the group’s ambition – plus a good monetary bundle to lure him to the group. However the Yamaha-powered A18 was initially unreliable, Hill failing to begin the season-opener at Albert Park with a caught throttle. Issues improved by mid-season, Hill opening his account for the group at Silverstone with sixth, however Arrows was nonetheless planted within the midfield till its day within the solar on the Hungaroring.
Hill discovered the A18 inconsistent, on some days discovering sufficient stability within the automobile to qualify properly inside the high 10, however on others getting outqualified by team-mate Pedro Diniz. The Brit signed off from his time at Arrows with fourth on the grid at Jerez, however a gearbox failure halfway by the race ended his shot at factors.
After a single season with Arrows, Hill left to hitch the upwardly cell Jordan group – changing the Benetton-bound Giancarlo Fisichella.
2. Derek Warwick
Warwick twice had successful alternatives fall by his fingers in 1989, in Brazil and once more in Canada
Picture by: Sutton Pictures
Arrows/Footwork years: 1987-89, 1993
Arrows/Footwork begins: 63
Factors with group: 31
“With out being blunt, it was the one factor I had on supply to be trustworthy,” Warwick assesses in his transfer to Arrows for 1987. He admits that his profession misplaced plenty of momentum after electing to remain at Renault somewhat than transfer to Williams for 1985, then having his 1986 deal to hitch Lotus vetoed by Ayrton Senna.
Warwick’s first 12 months with the squad was tough relative to Cheever, however outcomes picked up for 1988 and the Hampshire native may watch that momentum start to construct as soon as extra. 4 fourth locations, two fifths and a sixth proved to be the return in a aggressive 12 months, taking Warwick to eighth within the championship with 17 factors – 5 shy of reigning world champion Nelson Piquet (Lotus).
However 1989 represented Warwick’s finest shot at victory: with eighth on the grid for the Brazil season opener, he endured a “diabolical pitstop” whereas working third and misplaced a hatful of time – which dropped him to fifth. Earlier than the cease, Warwick was catching Alain Prost for second at an enormous charge of knots, whereas the general pitstop time loss was better than the Arrows driver’s eventual hole to winner Nigel Mansell by the shut of the race.
It was additionally shut at a moist Canada, the place Warwick led the race for 4 laps, however engine troubles as soon as extra denied him a shot at a win shortly after being handed by Senna for the lead. That Senna additionally retired absolutely would have left the group ruing the A11’s fragility – and Arrows’ wrestle to progress led Warwick to maneuver to Lotus for 1990, though the British squad was now in a heavy decline.
Warwick left F1 after that for 2 years, having fun with a profitable interval with each Jaguar and Peugeot on the earth sportscar championship, earlier than he was lured again to F1 by Oliver – with Arrows now the relabelled Footwork.
Though Warwick acquitted himself properly and scored all 4 factors for the group that 12 months, he admits that he clashed with chief designer Alan Jenkins, feeling that Jenkins resented him for changing Michele Alboreto on the group. Sensing it was time to cease racing in F1, Warwick referred to as time on his profession on the finish of the 12 months.
1. Riccardo Patrese
Patrese scored the one and solely Arrows pole in 1981 at Lengthy Seaside, the place the automobile let him down within the race
Picture by: Motorsport Pictures
Arrows years: 1978-81
Arrows begins: 57
Factors with group: 30
That Arrows’ strongest driver was the group’s first arguably says one thing about how front-loaded its fortunes had been. However it’s arduous to look previous Patrese’s achievements that nearly resulted in early victories and set the foundations for future success that had been finally by no means constructed on.
Oliver lured Patrese from Shadow to Arrows for its first 12 months, with nearly rapid success. At Kyalami, the third spherical of the 1978 season – Arrows’ second race after lacking Argentina – Patrese certified seventh and bought his Arrows FA1 into the lead on the twenty seventh lap. However heartbreak befell the Italian as his engine blew on the sixty fourth tour of 77, denying the group a maiden victory.
He not less than bagged a podium that 12 months, ending second behind the Brabham ‘fan automobile’ of Niki Lauda in Sweden, however his 12 months led to inauspicious circumstances as he was blamed for inflicting the accident at Monza that took the lifetime of Ronnie Peterson – and thus was banned from collaborating at Watkins Glen. Nevertheless, Patrese returned for the Canadian finale and completed fourth with the A1, hurriedly launched mid-season as Shadow took Arrows to court docket – efficiently proving that the FA1 was a replica of its DN9.
Patrese scored simply two factors within the A1 in 1979, because the mid-season change to the oddball A2 did not work out. Fortunately, the 1980 A3 was a way more typical design and Patrese was capable of hassle the scorers in Brazil after claiming sixth, after which took a podium two races later at Lengthy Seaside with second, earlier than unreliability and automobile underperformance set in for the 12 months.
His second near-miss adopted taking pole for the 1981 Lengthy Seaside opener (the group’s just one), the place Patrese led the primary 24 laps. However a misfiring engine and gas pick-up points meant Carlos Reutemann simply swiped the lead as Patrese’s automobile faltered – finally retiring after a number of journeys to the pitlane.
One other front-loaded season beckoned when Patrese then took third in Brazil and a second at Imola, earlier than the group as soon as once more dropped off the tempo. After 4 years at Arrows, Patrese left for Brabham in 1982, the place he took his first win in that 12 months’s notorious Monaco GP.
One thing of a Lengthy Seaside specialist, Patrese additionally completed second on the California monitor in 1980, matching his 1978 Swedish GP consequence
Picture by: Motorsport Pictures