Category Formula One Predecessor A21 Chassis Carbon-fibre monocoque | Constructor Arrows Successor A23 | |
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Designer(s) Mike Coughlan
Sergio Rinland | ||
The Arrows A22 was the car with which the Arrows team competed in the 2001 Formula One season. It was driven by Jos Verstappen, who was in his second year with the team, and Enrique Bernoldi, a rookie who brought sponsorship from Red Bull.
Contents
Overview
The A22 was a development of the previous year's highly promising A21. However, the project was hamstrung by changing engine suppliers for the second year in a row. Out went the Renault-based Supertecs, and in came the Asiatech engines, a private development of the unsuccessful Peugeot engine which the Prost team had used in 2000. The engine was less powerful than its predecessor, and also had reliability problems.
The team made the decision to equip the car with a very small fuel tank. This resulted in several high-profile, low-fuel strategies as the drivers, particularly Verstappen, used their light cars to good effect in the opening stages of many of the Grands Prix. Despite generally being outqualified by Bernoldi, the Dutchman's race pace was much quicker by comparison. However, the team's strategy only secured one point, at the Austrian GP. There were other moments of promise, but Verstappen also blotted his copybook by getting involved in an incident with race leading WilliamsF1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya at Interlagos, taking the Colombian out.
By the end of the season, Arrows' lack of testing and limited budget began to tell, with both drivers sinking further towards the back of the field. The focus shifted to 2002, and Team Principal Tom Walkinshaw secured a supply of powerful customer Cosworth engines for the next season.
The team eventually finished tenth in the Constructors' Championship, with one point.
Sponsors: Asiatech, Bridgestone, Orange, Red Bull, chello
Complete Formula One results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)