Arrows facts for kids
| Full name | Arrows Grand Prix International |
|---|---|
| Base | Milton Keynes, United Kingdom (1977–1996) Leafield, United Kingdom (1997–2002) |
| Founder(s) | Franco Ambrosio Alan Rees Jackie Oliver Dave Wass Tony Southgate |
| Noted staff | Tom Walkinshaw Heini Mader Ross Brawn |
| Noted drivers |  Riccardo Patrese Rolf Stommelen Jochen Mass Alan Jones Thierry Boutsen Gerhard Berger Derek Warwick Eddie Cheever Damon Hill Jos Verstappen |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 394 entries (382 starts) |
| Constructors' Championships |
0 |
| Drivers' Championships |
0 |
| Race victories | 0 (Best finish: five 2nd places, last one at 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix) |
| Podiums | 9 |
| Points | 164 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | 2002 German Grand Prix |
This article is about the Formula One racing team. For other uses of the term arrow, see Arrow.
Arrows Grand Prix International was a Formula One racing team. It competed in F1 races from 1978 to 2002. The team was also sometimes called Footwork.
Contents
How Arrows Grand Prix International Started
The Arrows Grand Prix International team began in 1977. It was founded by five people: Franco Ambrosio, Alan Rees, Jackie Oliver, Dave Wass, and Tony Southgate. These four (Rees, Oliver, Wass, and Southgate) had previously worked for the Shadow team.
They named the team "AROWS" using the first letter of each founder's last name. Later, they changed the spelling to the correct "Arrows".
Arrows Racing History
Early Years and Turbo Power
Arrows quickly showed its potential. In 1978, at the Swedish Grand Prix, their driver Riccardo Patrese finished second. This was the team's first podium finish. Patrese continued to score points for Arrows until 1981.
In 1984, Arrows started using powerful BMW M12 turbo engines. Later, they switched to Megatron turbo engines. The team's performance got much better during this "turbo era". Their best year was 1988, when they finished fifth in the constructors' championship. Between 1984 and 1988, they achieved two more podium finishes.
When turbo engines were banned from Formula One, Arrows' performance dropped. However, they still managed a third-place podium finish at the 1989 USA Grand Prix.
The Footwork Era
In 1991, the team's name changed to Footwork. This name lasted until after the 1996 season, when it went back to Arrows. During the Footwork years, the team used different engines. They started with Porsche engines, but their performance wasn't great.
Footwork then switched to Mugen Honda engines. They also used engines from Ford and Hart at different times.
Tom Walkinshaw Takes Over
In 1997, Tom Walkinshaw bought a part of the Arrows team. He hired Damon Hill, who had won the Drivers' Championship in 1996. They also brought in Pedro Diniz. Diniz was a "pay driver," meaning his family's money helped fund the team and pay for Hill's salary.
That year, Damon Hill almost won the Hungarian Grand Prix. But a part on his car failed, causing him to slow down. He ended up finishing in second place. Over the next few years, Walkinshaw bought the rest of the team from Jackie Oliver.
The End of Arrows
As the seasons went on, the Arrows team started to face serious financial problems. By 2002, things were very difficult. Sometimes, their drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi, couldn't participate in qualifying for races. This was an effort to save money for the struggling team.
Arrows could not finish the 2002 season. The team eventually went out of business and closed down. Later, a company called Phoenix Finance tried to buy the team's assets and enter Formula One in 2003, but they were not allowed to.
