Page 1 of 2 Next >> The British Arrows Formula 1 team was one of the last to jump on the turbo bandwagon when they secured BMW engines for the 1984 season. The customer units, maintained for Arrows by Heini Mader, initially did help push the team forward but in 1986, the team managed to score only a single point.
The disappointing results prompted a considerable reshuffle at Arrows, where a young Ross Brawn was appointed chief designer. He was further helped by an increased sponsorship from American financial company USF&G. BMW had pulled their support of the four-cylinder engine but the team acquired the rights and it was dubbed 'Megatron' after one of USF&G's products.
Brawn designed an all-new carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, which was considerably more compact than its predecessors and made the most of the four-cylinder engine's modest dimensions. At all four corners, double-wishbone suspension was fitted with push-rod actuated, in-board springs and dampers. AP Racing supplied the new Arrows A10's carbon-ceramic brakes.
Although now dubbed Megatron, the four-cylinder engines used were once again tuned for the team by Swiss engineer Heini Mader. He had to modify the design to accommodate for the now mandatory pop-off valve, which limited the boost of the turbo to 4-bar. This regulation was introduced to favour the newly introduced naturally aspirated, 3.5-litre engines.
Signed to drive the Arrows A10 were seasoned British racer Derek Warwick and the equally experienced Eddie Cheever from the United States. Both drivers had the new car available from the start of the season and after a difficult couple of races, Cheever managed to score the first points for the team in the Belgium Grand Prix. Page 1 of 2 Next >>
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The British Arrows Formula 1 team was one of the last to jump on the turbo bandwagon when they secured BMW engines for the 1984 season. The customer units, maintained for Arrows by Heini Mader, initially did help push the team forward but in 1986, the team managed to score only a single point.