Worst-kept secret confirmed - Arrows announce Frentzen

[GilesGuthrie]

Today (Thursday 7th) Arrows announced that they have signed Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Read more from Autosport.com ) on a one-year deal.

Not only was this reasonably common knowledge a couple of months ago, but yesterday Jos Verstappen's web site started to prepare its fans for the worst.

This is a smart move for Arrows, since Frentzen is a previous race-winner, and is the first man since Damon Hill in 1997 who has driven for Arrows as a GP winner. Also, half his salary will be paid by Eddie Jordan, so Arrows will be getting a decent driver for monkey money, and, being German, he will perhaps unlock the door to some German sponsorship opportunities.

It is a shame that Verstappen has been dropped, as he seemed ideally suited to the team, with his persistent terrier style, but he will make a significant amount from his severance clause - some say well in excess of $1m.

As a long-term Arrows supporter (I've had dinner with Tom Walkinshaw on a number of occasions, and his team invited me to their hospitality on our honeymoon in Canada, making it an unforgettable day), I wish the team all the success possible, and I hope that they overcome the overpaid and undertalented upstarts in F1 (like Jaguar). If you're looking for a team outside 'the big three' to support, check out the orange ones from Leafield.

 

[Pupik]

I've had a soft spot for for Arrows; some 280 races without a win.

One day...

 

[made in holland]

With the signing of frentzen, tom walkinshaw shows the world once more that all he is in F1 for is money.
How can you call it otherwise, when you know that Jos Verstappen signed a legal contract for 2002 with walkinshaw in June 2001!
Now he is fired because frentzen brings more sponsormoney into the team.That shows that walkinshaw is nothing more than a backstabbing weasel.



A Verstappen fan, and proud of it.

 

[Dudley]

HHF will cost more than JV and brings in no cash.

Even half HHF's salery is more than Jos would earn and they still have to pay JV $1million.

Plus HHF is a prooven race winner and development driver whereas Jos has done little apart from some pointless drives in a light on fuel car to suggest he'll ever win anything apart from a game of Destruction Derby.

Indeed Jos was a factor in the subscription of a lot of dutch sponsers who may now be on the way out.

Jos' contract included a buy-out clause, this was used today, nothing wrong with that at all.

You're welcome to debate the merits of JV vs Bernoldi vis a vis sponsership and speed but it's worth pointing out the Red Bull money buys a lot of car development which HHF could really use and Bernoldi was out-Qualifying Jos pretty regually by the end of his 1st year (and Jos' 7th). It's difficult to copmpare their race pace by this point thanks to Jos' "Let's put 10 laps of fuel in and pretend we can race the big boys" plan.

--

Not a Jos fan, definetly not an HHF fan and proud of that

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Originally posted by made in holland
With the signing of frentzen, tom walkinshaw shows the world once more that all he is in F1 for is money.
How can you call it otherwise, when you know that Jos Verstappen signed a legal contract for 2002 with walkinshaw in June 2001!
Now he is fired because frentzen brings more sponsormoney into the team.That shows that walkinshaw is nothing more than a backstabbing weasel.



A Verstappen fan, and proud of it.

Erm. Your avatar says more about your post than your post does. I understand you must be disappointed that your man got the push, but, as Dudley says, he has netted $1m from it, and I'm sure Alain Prost would like to talk to you about not acting in a commercially-aware way in modern F1...

 

[Dudley]

Right after he's done with the garage sale.