During the 1979 season, Arrows’ technical director Tony Southgate and designer Dave Wass attempted an extreme interpretation of the ground-effect concept with the "A2" car. However, the project was a failure, forcing Patrese to revert to the older A1B in the final races of 1979. As a result, the two engineers adopt a more conventional approach for the car they bring to the track in the 1980 season.
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| ARROWS A3, Riccardo Patrese Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1980 |
The new Arrows A3 is built around a classic aluminum monocoque chassis and, like almost all Formula 1 cars of the era, is powered by the Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine paired with a Hewland FGA 400 gearbox. The A3 is a typical early 1980s wing car, with a 2592 mm wheelbase, a weight of 581 kg, a narrow and sharply pointed nose, long and squared side pods housing the radiators, and a fully enclosed engine cover that wraps around the entire rear section of the car.
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| ARROWS A3, Jochen Mass Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1980 |
Apart from its attractive gold-colored livery, the A3 proves to be competitive and easy to set up, leading to a relatively long racing career. It is used throughout the 1980 season in Warsteiner colors and continues into 1981 with a new white-and-orange livery from its Italian sponsors, Ceramiche Ragno and Beta Utensili.
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| ARROWS A3, Riccardo Patrese Buenos Aires, Argentinian GP 1980 |
A unique version of the A3 appears at the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, where Southgate attempts to solve the car’s chronic understeer by adding an inverted wing profile under the nose, complete with side skirts to create an additional venturi tunnel. However, the experiment fails to produce the desired results and is abandoned after just one race.
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| ARROWS A3, Jochen Mass Jarama, Spanish GP 1980 |
The A3’s primary strength remains its reliability. Despite consistently starting from the back of the grid, the car frequently finishes races, allowing the two main drivers, Italian Riccardo Patrese and German Jochen Mass, to achieve some notable results, such as second-place finishes at Long Beach and in Spain at Jarama (though the latter race was later annulled due to disputes between FISA and FOCA). The season concludes with 11 points and a seventh-place finish in the Constructors' Championship, one of the best results in the long history of the Milton Keynes-based team.
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