1987 is a significant year in the history of Arrows. After BMW officially announced its withdrawal from Formula One at the end of 1986, the team owner Jackie Oliver, thanks to the financial backing secured by the sponsor USF&G, reached an agreement with the Bavarian manufacturer to use the M12/13 1.5 L4 turbo engines in their older “vertical” version-essentially, not the ones modified by Murray with 72° inclined cylinders. The powerful German turbo engine was rebranded as “Megatron” (after a product of the American sponsor USF&G Insurance) and its maintenance was entrusted to the Swiss engine tuner Heini Mader.
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| ARROWS A10, Derek Warwick Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 1987 |
Mader faced numerous challenges after the new technical regulations required all turbo engines to be fitted with a FIA-homologated pop-off valve, which activated once the boost pressure reached 4 bar. Throughout the season, the Swiss engineer struggled to manage this valve, which frequently kicked in well below the 4-bar threshold, significantly reducing engine power, up to a 200-horsepower deficit compared to the top engines.
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| ARROWS A10, Derek Warwick Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP 1987 |
The situation didn’t improve as the season went on, and lacking the technological and financial resources of engine suppliers like Ferrari or Honda, Mader spent the entire 1987 season and a good part of 1988 before finding a solution. The Megatron engine was fitted onto the new Arrows A10, which marked a major technical departure from previous models and was the first Formula One car designed under the technical direction of Ross Brawn.
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| ARROWS A10, Eddie Cheever Estoril, Portuguese GP 1987 |
The car featured a carbon monocoque chassis, a wheelbase of 2,743 mm, and a weight of 540 kg. Both the front and rear suspensions used a double wishbone layout with a push-rod configuration, and the transmission was built in-house by Arrows based on a six-speed Hewland gearbox. The A10’s standout feature was its clean lines and carefully developed aerodynamics, a hallmark of all future Brawn-designed cars. The A10 proved to be highly competitive, but persistent issues with the Megatron engine prevented the team's drivers, Britain’s Derek Warwick and America’s Eddie Cheever, from consistently fighting at the front.
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| ARROWS A10, Eddie Cheever Silverstone, British GP 1987 |
The 1987 season was plagued with numerous retirements, nearly all due to mechanical problems linked to the engine, but whenever the A10 did reach the checkered flag, it often finished in the points. By the end of the championship, Arrows had scored 11 points, securing seventh place in the Constructors’ standings. More importantly, the Warwick-Cheever duo formed a solid partnership for three seasons, marking what are arguably the most competitive years in the history of the British team based in Milton Keynes.
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