The A21 was a completely new design by Mike Coughlan and Eghbal Hamidy, the latter having previously worked on the Stewart SF3 which the A21 bore a visual resemblance to. The car benefited from a revised Supertec V10 engine and a significantly improved aerodynamic package, with a lower centre of gravity than its predecessor, the A20. Sponsorship from mobile phone company Orange provided a substantial injection of funding that supported development work throughout the season. Paul Stoddart's European Aviation company also came on board as a sponsor, contributing logistical and transportation support while Stoddart's Formula 3000 operation effectively served as Arrows' junior team.
Development work began early in the design cycle as the team deliberately shifted focus away from the ageing A20, giving the new car more preparation time than was typical at Arrows.
Pre-season testing was encouraging: the A21 broke the lap record at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, confirming its performance potential. Over the course of the season, both drivers regularly featured among the faster midfield runners and the car consistently registered among the highest straight-line speeds on the grid.
De la Rosa came close to podium finishes on more than one occasion. At Hockenheim he appeared set for a strong result before a spin dropped him out of contention. At the A1-Ring he was running well until a gearbox failure ended his race. Verstappen produced a series of impressive performances throughout the year, including a forceful drive through the field in changing weather conditions at the Canadian Grand Prix. His season highlight came at Monza, where he finished fourth — the team's best result of the year.
Both drivers spoke positively about the car's speed and handling. Verstappen acknowledged, however, that the A21 was not at its strongest on high-downforce circuits, where its straight-line advantage counted for less.
The team followed the season with a television documentary series titled Racing Arrows, which tracked the team and its drivers throughout 2000 and was broadcast on ITV in 2001 across thirteen episodes.
Arrows finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship with seven points.
After the season, one A21 was modified into a three-seat configuration for demonstration purposes while retaining its original V10 engine. Designated the Arrows AX-3, the car was used at events including the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, giving members of the public a passenger experience in a genuine Formula One chassis.
The A21 remains one of the more fondly remembered cars in Arrows' history. Its raw pace vindicated the team's investment in a ground-up redesign and showed what was possible with adequate funding and early development work. That the team could not convert that pace into results more regularly was a reflection of reliability issues rather than a shortfall in design quality, and the car attracted genuine respect from the drivers who raced it.
Gallery · 4 related images
