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Arrows A19

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Arrows A19
The A19 of Mika Salo
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorArrows
Designer(s)John Barnard (Technical Director)
Mike Coughlan (Engineering Director)
Paul Bowen (Chief Designer)
Simon Jennings (Head of Aerodynamics)
PredecessorA18
SuccessorA20
Technical specifications
Chassiscarbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)double wishbones, pushrod
Suspension (rear)double wishbones, pushrod
EngineArrows T2-F1 72-degree V10
TransmissionArrows six-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic
Power700 (522 kW) hp @ 15,000 rpm[1]
FuelElf
TyresBridgestone
Competition history
Notable entrantsDanka Zepter Arrows
Notable drivers16. Brazil Pedro Diniz
17. Finland Mika Salo
Debut1998 Australian Grand Prix
Last event1998 Japanese Grand Prix
RacesWinsPolesF/Laps
16000
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

The Arrows A19 was the car with which the Arrows Formula One team competed in the 1998 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Brazilian Pedro Diniz, who was in his second season with the team, and Finn Mika Salo, who had moved from Tyrrell to replace Jordan-bound Damon Hill.

Development

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Tom Walkinshaw had persuaded John Barnard to join the team as technical director the previous year, and he set to work on the next car. 1998 was a year of unfulfilled promise from Arrows. The cars looked highly distinctive with an almost completely black livery.[2] The car's main weakness was its engine. Tom Walkinshaw, the Team Principal of Arrows, had bought into Brian Hart's engine company and thus Arrows became the first British F1 team to produce their own engines since BRM in 1977.[3] Walkinshaw explained the move as a chance to push the team's engineering further forward and to cut costs on paying for customer engines. However, Hart's budget was not enough to compete with the major car manufacturers who supplied most of the other teams, and the problems were exacerbated by the car not being completed on time.[4] Barnard had designed a carbon fibre gearbox for the A19, but it proved troublesome throughout the year, affecting results. Barnard was also moonlighting, designing parts for Prost, which did not endear him to Walkinshaw. By the end of the season, Barnard had left the team, replaced by Mike Coughlan.[5]

Race history

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The A19 proved to be quite unreliable throughout the season, particularly in the first few Grands Prix, culminating in an embarrassing simultaneous engine failure at the 1998 Spanish Grand Prix. However, the next race at Monaco proved the effectiveness of the chassis: on a circuit where engine power is not so vital, the cars were competitive and scored a double-points finish.[6] Thereafter, the cars were too slow and unreliable to be serious contenders, although Diniz salvaged fifth place at the chaotic 1998 Belgian Grand Prix. During the same weekend, Salo destroyed his car during the Saturday practice session at Eau Rouge and wrote off another chassis in the multi-car pile-up at the start of the race.

The poor performance of the Hart engine caused Tom Walkinshaw to look for an alternative. Discussions for a deal with Toyota came to nothing and with Barnard leaving in December and an attempted sale to Zakspeed falling through, Arrows were forced to soldier on in 1999.[7]

The team eventually finished a respectable seventh in the Constructors' Championship, with six points.

Complete Formula One results

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(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 Points WCC
1998 Danka Zepter Arrows Arrows V10 B AUS BRA ARG SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR AUT GER HUN BEL ITA LUX JPN 6 7th
Pedro Diniz Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 9 14 Ret Ret Ret 11 5 Ret Ret Ret
Mika Salo Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret 4 Ret 13 Ret Ret 14 Ret DNS Ret 14 Ret

References

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  • AUTOCOURSE 1998-99, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd. (1998) ISBN 1-874557-43-8
  1. ^ "Engine Arrows • STATS F1".
  2. ^ "Livery of the Day – Arrows A19". 23 July 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  3. ^ Henry, Alan (7 July 2014). "Me and my Arrows". Motor Sport. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  4. ^ Collins, Aaron (4 January 2019). "F1: The Demise of Arrows Grand Prix & TWR". Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  5. ^ "John Barnard's Finest: Some of the Greatest of Barnard's Design". conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Monaco Grand Prix Review". atlasf1.autosport.com. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Salo Confirms Arrows Engine Search". Crash.net. 23 December 1998. Retrieved 25 January 2020.