1999 Driver Profiles by Julie Gates

Arrows - Could be Worse

by Julie Gates

The Team: Considering the car is much the same as it was last year, the team have faired pretty well. Even though their own-brand engine lacks valuable horsepower, it seems to be reliable. In fact their whole package seems reasonable under their circumstances. Out of ten starts, the car has crossed the finish line for half of these - three of which were in the top eight. They also scored a World Championship point at Australia - a feat which many thought an impossibility. However, qualifying hasn't been easy for the team and have languished down on the ninth row of the grid. A clear indication that their car is well off the pace, even though reliability is satisfactory. We have seen four mechanical failures, and these were mainly thanks to hydraulic-based problems. Still, for their budget, they have had a reasonable start to the season and things could easily be a lot worse for them.

What can be done: The future looks to be bright for the Oxfordshire-based team. Prince Mailk Ado Abrahim has invested in the team and they are working hard on future developments. They have also just launched their own T-Minus consumer range and seem more serious than ever to succeed. As long as they stick to their guns and concentrate on the job in hand, rather than marketing, they should at least maintain their status for this season.

Driver - Toransuke Takagi: He hasn't really shown much of the speed he demonstrated last year and has often been out-paced by his Rookie team-mate. However, in race conditions, he has shown constancy and his retirements are through no fault of his own. His drive at Australia was impressive - surviving a stalled engine and being hit by a BAR - to finish in seventh position. But I ask the question: Why is his Rookie team-mate out-pacing him when he is deemed to have a natural speed that isn't met by many others? He has failed to show us this year his much talked about speed, but he has shown maturity on and off the race track. He can do well, but just needs the right car and the right situations to do it in.

Driver - Pedro de la Rosa: The former Jordan test driver has performed impressively in his debut season. He finished sixth at Australia to open his and Arrows bank account and he has out-qualified Takagi on three occasions. He has also been close to his team-mate during the races and has bettered him on the two occasions he has reached the chequered flag. He has only made one driver error that has cost him dearly - and that was on lap five at Imola when he spun out. He certainly shows promise and given time and a competitive car, he could pose a threat when he has gained some much-needed experience.

Conclusion: The team have performed reasonably well. Their car is similar to last year's, yet they can still challenge for mid-field positions. Reliability could do with a bit of improvement, but they have two potentially-winning drivers, and if the team work together as one and take advantage of their expertise, they could be a team to watch going into the new Millennium.

Rating: 4/10