Arrows A20
{{Short description|Formula One Car}}
{{Infobox racing car
| Car_name = Arrows A20
| Image = Arrows A20 Historacing Festival Lédenon 2012.jpg
| Caption = The A20
| Image_size = 250px
| Category = Formula One
| Constructor = Arrows
| Designer = Mike Coughlan {{smaller|(Technical Director)}}
Eghbal Hamidy {{smaller|(Chief Designer)}}
Simon Jennings {{smaller|(Head of Aerodynamics)}}
| Predecessor = A19
| Successor = A21
| Team = Repsol Arrows F1 Team
| Drivers = 14. {{flagicon|ESP}} Pedro de la Rosa
15. {{flagicon|Japan}} Toranosuke Takagi
| Chassis = Moulded carbon-fibre composite structure
| Front suspension = Double wishbones, pushrod
| Rear suspension = Double wishbones, pushrod
| Engine name = Arrows A20E (Hart 1030) 72-degree 3.0 L V10
| Power = 715 hp @ 15,000 rpm{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/moteur-arrows.aspx|title=Engine Arrows • STATS F1}}
| Gearbox name = Arrows carbon-fibre six-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic
| Fuel = Elf{{refn|name=2000 oils|group=note|Repsol YPF branding appeared on the A20, but the car used Elf fuel and lubricants.}}
| Tyres = Bridgestone
| Debut = 1999 Australian Grand Prix
| Last_event = 1999 Japanese Grand Prix
| Races = 16
| Wins = 0
| Cons_champ = 0
| Drivers_champ = 0
| Poles = 0
| Fastest_laps = 0
}}
The Arrows A20 was the car with which the Arrows Formula One team competed in the 1999 Formula One World Championship.
It was driven by former Jordan test driver Pedro de la Rosa, a Spanish débutant who brought considerable sponsorship from Repsol,{{Cite web |url=https://www.crash.net/f1/news/34922/1/arrows-takes-pedro-option |title=Arrows Takes Pedro Option. |date=16 December 1999 |website=crash.net |access-date=20 January 2020}} and Japan's Toranosuke Takagi, who moved from the defunct Tyrrell team. Mika Salo was due to stay with the team after a promising 1998 but was dropped just a week before the opening race.{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/salo-replaces-schumacher-1.206367|title=Salo replaces Schumacher|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=25 January 2020}}
Background and design
The team was short of funds with the lack of a major sponsor (Danka's sponsorship having ended at the end of 1998) and the chassis was a mild update of the A19, which had not been too competitive itself. John Barnard had departed and it was left to Mike Coughlan to develop the car.{{Cite web|url=https://www.crash.net/f1/news/33539/1/repsol-and-a20-continue-to-paint-picture-for-arrow|title=Repsol And A20 Continue To Paint Picture For Arrow|date=13 February 1999|website=crash.net|access-date=20 January 2020}}
After failing to find an alternative supplier, engine builder Brian Hart again supplied in-house engines, but as in 1998, it became clear that his small resources were insufficient to compete in modern F1, and he left the team after an ownership dispute with Tom Walkinshaw.{{Cite web|url=http://users.telenet.be/peter.morley/cars/Hart.htm|title=Hart|website=users.telenet.be|access-date=20 January 2020|archive-date=20 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120234031/http://users.telenet.be/peter.morley/cars/Hart.htm|url-status=dead}}
= Malik Ado Ibrahim buyout =
At the start of the year a colourful Nigerian prince, Malik Ado-Ibrahim, bought a 25% shareholding in the team, and his T-Minus brand appeared on the cars for most of the year. However, he too could not provide sufficient funding. The idea behind the T-Minus brand was that companies and corporations would purchase the rights to use the name and they would be permitted to use the brand to promote their products.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-mysterious-nigerian-prince-who-scammed-his-way-into-owning-an-f1-team/|title=The Mysterious Nigerian Prince Who Scammed His Way Into Owning an F1 Team|first=Jim|last=Weeks|date=27 March 2017|access-date=20 January 2020}} Malik stated that he planned to use the brand in conjunction with Lamborghini but a deal never pulled through. An Arrows employee of the time stated 'The T-Minus brand has brought in absolutely no money over the year' and carried on stating 'It was simply a dream in the Prince's head and nothing materialised.'{{cite web|url=http://www.f1rejects.com/centrale/arrows/index.html |title=Risky Business: The TWR Arrows Years 1996-2002 |publisher=F1 Rejects |date= |accessdate=25 November 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517120544/http://f1rejects.com/centrale/arrows/index.html |archivedate=17 May 2014}} Investment company Morgan Grenfell also bought into Arrows, taking a 50% controlling interest in the team.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/1999/dec/27/2|title=Consortium races for control of Arrows team|first=John|last=Cassy|newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 December 1999|via=www.theguardian.com|access-date=24 April 2020}}
Racing history
The year proved to be a disaster, as the cars were slow and unreliable, and the team ended up battling with Minardi at the back of the grid, and arguably got even slower throughout the season to the point that they were being frequently outqualified by their minnow rivals. Its only competitive showing came in the opening race of the season at Melbourne, where de la Rosa finished sixth for a point on his début, with Takagi one place back in seventh. Only this point, and newcomer BAR's poor finishing record, kept Arrows from finishing last in the Constructors' standings. De La Rosa stated that the engine, not the chassis was the problem, commenting favorably on the handling of the car.{{Cite web|url=https://database.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/toranosuke-takagi|title=Toranosuke Takagi|date=12 June 2017|website=Motor Sport Magazine|access-date=20 January 2020}}
While de la Rosa proved promising, Takagi struggled with communication issues as he could not speak English at the time and left at the end of the season; he was replaced for 2000 by Jos Verstappen.
Aftermath
The A20 was extensively refitted in preparation for the 2000 season which saw the team use Supertec engines. De La Rosa and Tom Coronel put in a lot of mileage and posted competitive times.{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlasf1.com/news/1999/dec/1844.htm|title=Testing Ends at Barcelona|website=www.atlasf1.com|access-date=2 July 2020}} Mark Webber had his first test in a Formula One car aboard an A20 in November 1999, running the Supertec engine and new gearbox. He later said in his autobiography that the A20 was an above average car.{{Cite web|url=https://www.goauto.com.au/news/general-news/sport/webber-hopes-to-test-again/1999-12-13/25081.html|title=Webber hopes to test again|first=David|last=Hassall|website=GoAuto|access-date=8 May 2020}}
The A20 eventually formed the basis of the AX3 3-seater car which Arrows introduced in 2001, using a modified chassis and the same Hart engine. Two examples were built.{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a22022955/three-seater-f1-car-arrows-ax3-for-sale/|title=Scare the Bejesus Out of Your Friends With This Three-Seat F1 Car|first=Brian|last=Silvestro|date=2 July 2018|website=Road & Track|access-date=24 April 2020}}{{Clear}}
Complete Formula One results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%" | |||||||||||||||||
| Year
! Entrant ! Engine ! Tyres ! Drivers ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! Points ! WCC | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="3"| 1999
| rowspan="3"| Repsol Arrows F1 Team | rowspan="3"| {{Bridgestone}} | AUS | BRA | SMR | MON | ESP | CAN | FRA | GBR | AUT | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | EUR | MAL | JPN
| rowspan="3"|1 | rowspan="3"|9th | |
| Pedro de la Rosa
| style="background:#dfffdf;"| 6 | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#cfcfff;"| 11 | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#cfcfff;"| 12 | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#cfcfff;"| 15 | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#cfcfff;"| 13 | |||||||||||||||||
| Toranosuke Takagi
| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 7 | style="background:#cfcfff;"| 8 | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#cfcfff;"| 12 | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#000; color:white;"| DSQ | style="background:#cfcfff;"| 16 | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret | style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret |
Notes
{{reflist|group=note}}
References
- AUTOCOURSE 1999-2000, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd. (1999) {{ISBN|1-874557-34-9}}
{{reflist}}
{{Arrows}}
{{F1 cars 1999}}