Without concrete results, without a strong public image, and after a terrible 1993 season, finishing with only 3 points, Footwork Corporation, led by president Wataru Ohashi, began questioning the viability of continuing the financial commitment required to remain in Formula 1, especially in light of growing economic difficulties. At the end of 1993, Ohashi announced the company's withdrawal as a sponsor and his departure from the management of the Arrows team, even though his continued shareholding in the team obligated the English outfit based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, to honor the original agreement and retain the Footwork name for three more seasons.
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| FOOTWORK FA15, Gianni Morbidelli Adelaide, Australian GP 1994 |
Management of the team thus returned to the hands of Jackie Oliver and Alan Rees, who had to rebuild a completely different team from the previous year, now without Footwork’s funding, without secondary sponsor Toshiba, and without the engine supply partnership with Mugen-Honda. The final severance of ties with Japan was marked by the dismissal of driver Aguri Suzuki, who had been imposed by Mugen to give the team a strong Japanese identity. The new Footwork, or more accurately Arrows, miraculously managed to assemble a budget, not even particularly tight, to participate in the 1994 championship. They reestablished ties with Ford-Cosworth to supply the V8 HB E7 engines used by McLaren the previous season, and hired two young and promising drivers: Brazilian Christian Fittipaldi and Italian Gianni Morbidelli.
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| FOOTWORK FA15, Christian Fittipaldi Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1994 |
The technical direction of the team remained with Alan Jenkins, who had led the English outfit for years after spending the early 1980s at McLaren alongside John Barnard, and Dave Amey, who served as chief designer for the fourth consecutive year. The new FA15 heavily borrowed technical solutions already seen on the previous car, obviously without the electronic driving aids banned by the new regulations. The Ford-Cosworth V8 used in the FA15, more compact than the Mugen-Honda V10, allowed for a shorter wheelbase and better weight distribution, as well as the use of smaller radiating masses which enabled slimmer sidepods. The nose also changed slightly, though it retained the raised shape with a full-width wing supported by two pylons as in the previous version.
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| FOOTWORK FA15, Christian Fittipaldi Montréal, Canadian GP 1994 |
The Ford-Cosworth HB E7 engine was capable of producing over 700 hp and was still paired with the semi-automatic six-speed X-Trac gearbox, modified by Footwork technicians. Unfortunately, the gearbox would become the main cause of numerous retirements for Fittipaldi and Morbidelli throughout the season. In fact, the FA15 was competitive in the early races of the season, with Morbidelli qualifying sixth in Brazil and Fittipaldi finishing fourth in the following race at Aida, where Morbidelli had to retire while running fifth. At Monaco, Morbidelli again climbed to fifth place after a strong qualifying performance, before retiring due to gearbox failure, while Fittipaldi finished sixth in the Canadian Grand Prix, only to be disqualified afterward due to the car being underweight.
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| FOOTWORK FA15, Christian Fittipaldi Imola, San Marino GP 1994 |
After the dramatic events at Imola and the introduction of new regulations, most notably the requirement to open slots in the airbox to reduce incoming air pressure, performance worsened, and the rest of the season became a struggle of poor results and frequent gearbox failures. The team finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship with 9 points, still an improvement over the previous disappointing seasons.
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