Arrows A21

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 1996.

Arrows A21
Jos Verstappen driving the A21 during the 2000 Italian Grand Prix
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorArrows
Designer(s)Mike Coughlan (Technical Director)
Eghbal Hamidy (Chief Designer)
Simon Jennings (Head of Aerodynamics)
PredecessorA20
SuccessorA22
Technical specifications[1]
ChassisMoulded carbon fibre composite structure
Suspension (front)Double wishbones, in-board spring dampers, pullrod
Suspension (rear)Double wishbones, in-board spring dampers, pushrod
EngineSupertec FB02 (Renault) 71-degree V10
TransmissionArrows/Xtrac carbon-fibre six-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic
Power780 hp @ 15,800 rpm[2]
FuelElf[note 1]
TyresBridgestone
Competition history
Notable entrantsArrows F1 Team
Notable drivers18. Spain Pedro de la Rosa
19. Netherlands Jos Verstappen
Debut2000 Australian Grand Prix
Last event2000 Malaysian Grand Prix
RacesWinsPolesF/Laps
17000
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

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)

Year Entrant Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Points WCC
2000 Arrows F1 Team Supertec V10 B AUS BRA SMR GBR ESP EUR MON CAN FRA AUT GER HUN BEL ITA USA JPN MAL 7 7th
Spain Pedro de la Rosa Ret 8 Ret Ret Ret 6 DNS Ret Ret Ret 6 16 16 Ret Ret 12 Ret
Netherlands Jos Verstappen Ret 7 14 Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 13 15 4 Ret Ret 10

Notes
  1. Repsol YPF branding appeared on the A21, but the car used Elf fuel and lubricants.[1]

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


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