Category | Formula One | ||||||||
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Constructor | Arrows | ||||||||
Designer(s) | Ross Brawn | ||||||||
Predecessor | A9 | ||||||||
Successor | A11 | ||||||||
Technical specifications | |||||||||
Chassis | Carbon fibre monocoque | ||||||||
Suspension (front) | Double wishbones, push-rod dampers | ||||||||
Suspension (rear) | Double wishbones, push-rod dampers | ||||||||
Axle track | Front: 1,803 mm (71.0 in) Rear: 1,625 mm (64.0 in) |
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Wheelbase | 2,743 mm (108.0 in) | ||||||||
Engine |
mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, 1,496 cc (91.3 cu in), Megatron, Straight 4, turbo 1987: 4.0 bar turbo limited 1988: 2.5 bar turbo limited |
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Transmission | Hewland-Arrows 6-speed manual | ||||||||
Weight | 540 kg (1,190 lb) | ||||||||
Fuel | Wintershall | ||||||||
Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||
Notable entrants | USF&G Arrows Megatron | ||||||||
Notable drivers | 17. Derek Warwick 18. Eddie Cheever |
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Debut | 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
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Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 0 |
The Arrows A10 was a Formula One car which the Arrows team used to compete in the 1987 and 1988 Formula One seasons. The car was designed by Ross Brawn and was upgraded slightly in 1988 when it was dubbed the A10B.
As BMW announced its intention to officially withdraw at the end of 1986, Arrows team boss Jackie Oliver brokered a deal with support from its primary sponsor, USF&G, to continue the use of the upright 4cyl BMW engines under the name of USF&G subsidiary Megatron, Inc., founded by long-time F1 aficionado John J. Schmidt, who coined the phrase "Horse racing may have been the sport of kings, but auto racing is the sport of corporations". The engines were serviced by the team's long time engine guru Heini Mader from Switzerland, the former mechanic of Jo Siffert.
For 1987 the engines were fitted with a FIA approved pop-off valve which was mandatory for all turbo engines in the season with turbo boost restricted to 4.0 bar (previously turbo boost was restricted only by what the engineers felt the engines could handle, though most, including the BMW M12, usually went no further than 5.6 Bar). Power from the engine, which always had the ability to handle high boost settings, was still estimated to be over 1,000 bhp (746 kW; 1,014 PS) for qualifying and around 850 bhp (634 kW; 862 PS) for races with the cars also restricted to just 195 litres of fuel per race. During the season the team continually experienced problems with the pop-off valve cutting in well below the 4.0 Bar limit in both qualifying and races, with Warwick reporting at the opening race in Brazil that the valve was restricting boost to 3.5 Bar, and sometimes it was cutting in at 2.6 Bar (a loss of around 200 bhp (149 kW; 203 PS)), a situation that didn't improve throughout the season. Without the resources and financial backing available to the likes of Ferrari or Honda, it would take Mader until the three quarters of the way through the 1988 season to solve the problem.