Arrows Unveils A21.
The Arrows F1 Team unveiled its distinctive new livery at a press launch in the Melbourne paddock today [Thursday].
The new A21 displayed its eye-catching paintwork for the first time, as the team introduced its new sponsors to Formula One. Orange, Eurobet, chello, Lost Boys, European Aviation and Enorm have all joined existing sponsors Repsol YPF, Bridgestone and Baan in the sponsorship portfolio, many of which only revealed late last week.
The Arrows F1 Team unveiled its distinctive new livery at a press launch in the Melbourne paddock today [Thursday].
The new A21 displayed its eye-catching paintwork for the first time, as the team introduced its new sponsors to Formula One. Orange, Eurobet, chello, Lost Boys, European Aviation and Enorm have all joined existing sponsors Repsol YPF, Bridgestone and Baan in the sponsorship portfolio, many of which only revealed late last week.
The team also announced that regular drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Jos Verstappen would be joined by Mark Webber in 2000, as the Australian was revealed as Arrows official test driver, as well as lead driver for the European Arrows F3000 team.
Arrows F1 Team chairman, Tom Walkinshaw, was delighted with the look of the car, which he hopes will raise the profile of the team both on and off the track.
"A new car is always special, but we all have every reason to be optimistic about the performance of the A21," he said, "We have a brand new chassis, and the new Supertec engine, and it is gratifying to welcome new sponsors to the sport, as well as renewing existing contracts. The performance achieved by our car in Barcelona testing has encouraged all of us, but Melbourne will be our first true test."
This is the first Arrows from the new design team of technical director Mike Coughlan, chief designer, Eghbal Hamidy, and head of R&D, John Davis. Its features include an improved aerodynamic package and significantly lowered and revised weight distribution, as well as incorporating the latest evolution of the Renault-based Supertec engine.
As expected, the car is basically orange, in deference to its major sponsor, but the colour is tempered by liberal sprinklings of black and white, making it reminiscent of last year's disappointing A20. As in 1999, however, the team has again turned out one of the smartest looking machines on the grid, and will be hoping that the old adage 'if it looks good, it goes good' holds true.
Images from the launch will be available shortly......