S3909 Footwork FA14 No.9 Australian GP 1993 – Derek Warwick
Even though ‘Footwork’ was entering the Formula 1 already in 1990, the Arrows racing team was named ‘Footwork’ officially only from 1991. Behind the Japanese logistics company stands the entrepreneur Wataru Ohashi who is a passionate racer. Footwork was part of the Formula 1 for six years, before the team came back with its original name. Hardliner had named the team all the team ‘Arrows’ and they had a point: The headquarter stayed in England and the responsible person for sportive belongings was the former racing driver and founder of Arrows Jackie Oliver. The model FA14 was used in the season 1993. With Derek Warwick and Aguri Suzuki at the wheel. Warwick was cleary the number 1. But Suzuki brought the engines of ‘Mugen’ (a Honda spin-off) and was set. Both of the drivers were not really successful. A fourth place of Warwick at the Hungarian GP was the best result. At the end it was a ninth place in the world championship with four points (whereby Suzuki remained with no points). A reason for the lack of success was the Mugen V10 engine. It was not only without a chance against the superior Renault engines, it also lost in the competition with the Ford engines. When Ohashi didn’t want to invest any money anymore in 1994, Footwork was forced to change to the cheaper and 30 kg lighter Ford engine. For designer Alan Jenkins it was good news. Because of the heavy engine in the FA14 the weight distribution was not ideal. “I had to transfer as much weight as possible to the front, because of the 160 kg engine. Because the heaviest components like the engine, gearbox and driver are in a fix position, the possibilities were limited.” Jenkins had no other choice than to extend the wheelbase. But this had an effect on the rigidity of the chassis. Derek Warwick is rembering the FA14 also for another reason. During the warm up, Sunday morning, at the German GP at the Hockenheimring the British driver had a bad accident. “I was driving in the rain behind Prost and Senna and the view was disastrous when I suddenly crashed in the rear of the BMS-Dallara of Luca Badoer. The impact teared my complete right side away. I was only remaining a passenger.” In the following the FA14 overturned several times in the gravel bed. Warwick landed headfirst and suffered no injuries in the accident. “My neck was hurting and a head a headache, but I could participate in the race.”
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