RIAL FORD ARC2
YEARS USED - 1989
DRIVERS - Christian Danner (GER), Volker Weidler (GER), Pierre-Henri Raphanel (FRA), Bertrand Gachot (FRA), Gregor Foitek (SUI)
RACES ENTERED - 16 (32 entries)
BEST QUALIFYING - 17th (Brazil 1989)
BEST RACE FINISH - 4th (Phoenix 1989)
DNQ's - 18
DNPQ's - 8
DRIVERS - Christian Danner (GER), Volker Weidler (GER), Pierre-Henri Raphanel (FRA), Bertrand Gachot (FRA), Gregor Foitek (SUI)
RACES ENTERED - 16 (32 entries)
BEST QUALIFYING - 17th (Brazil 1989)
BEST RACE FINISH - 4th (Phoenix 1989)
DNQ's - 18
DNPQ's - 8
This is a new series of mine where i will look into what i think are the worst of the worst in terms of Grand Prix machinery, of which I have selected 5 to talk about, why they failed so miserably could burn down to a number of factors like lack of development, poor engine, poor design and reliability and even management failures. The first car i will talk about which falls in at 5th place on the list certainly falls under the "lack of development" title.
RIAL first entered Formula 1 the previous season in 1988 with a single car for Italian veteran Andrea De Cesaris, they were run by quite possibly the hardest nosed team principal F1 has ever seen, the volatile German alloy wheel magnate Gunter Schmid who had a moderately successful 7 year stint with ATS in Formula 1, the best year of which was 1982 where with Manfred Winklehock and Eliseo Salazar, ATS managed to pick up 4 points and finish 12th in the constructors championship, Schmid also gave future race winner Gerhard Berger his F1 debut too before pulling out at the end of 1984 after his engine supplier (BMW) refused to prelong their contract.
But back to RIAL and their 1989 car, the ARC2, this car was basically an improved version of the 1988 car, the ARC1 designed by Gustav Brunner. It was a simple, neat and quick package which never once failed to qualify in De Cesaris's hands, only once did he fail to qualify outside the top 20 and even managed a 4th place in Detroit, giving RIAL 3 points and a finish of 9th spot in the constructors championship, this did not come however without problems and many run in's with the FIA and the stewards and also Schmid's temprament too which was a factor in Brunner taking his design talents to the rival German squad Zakspeed.
The ARC2 however did have Brunner's input though, this was because it was a revamped ARC1 to meet the new aerodynamic and engine regulations (e.g an airbox.) De Cesaris by now had left the team as it expanded to 2 cars for 2 German drivers, Christian Danner and sportscar star Volker Weidler. Because of the expansion to 2 cars, only Danner's was entered for full qualifying forcing Weidler into the pre-qualifying lottery.) Weidler though was clearly out of his depth in F1, clearly missing his roots in sportscars and failed to pre-qualify on every occasion. Danner did not fare much better even though he did qualify the car on 4 occasions, the best of which being 17th spot on the grid in Brazil and a points finish in Phoenix, another 4th place.
But the car suffered hugely from appaling reliability when in qualifying trim and a lack of development from mid-season onwards, it passed the best before date practically after the 1st race of the season. Danner's 4th spot in Phoenix though at least saved the car from pre-qualifying allowing Weidler to progress into the final 30 qualifying sessions for the rest of the season. That was when though Schmid's temper reached boiling point, it was clear that for RIAL to maintain a level of competitive respectability, they needed a huge revamp of the current car or a new one altogether but Schmid simply refused to accept this fact and insisted that the team soldier on with the hopelessly uncompetitive ARC2, he even began to have a say in car setups for each race and then blamed his drivers for not qualifying the cars using his setup suggestions, the whole team was now bordering on farcical, never mind the cars.
After the Hungarian GP, it all got too much for chief designer Stefan Fober who left after Schmid demanded he paid an FIA fine out of his own pocket, Weidler was also sacked after one DNQ too many and was replaced by wealthy journeyman Pierre-Henri Raphanel, this did not help matters as he also failed to qualify the car on every outing he had, even the hiring of a new designer (Christian Van Der Pleyn) was a waste of time because the car had fallen so far behind in the development stakes in the first place. After yet another DNQ in Italy, Danner walked out on the team too to be replaced by Gregor Foitek. He lasted only 1 practice session after a massive shunt left the FIA wondering how on earth the ARC2 had managed to pass the crash tests.
Overall the ARC2 proved to be RIAL's downfall as they unsuprisingly shutdown after the 1989 season, their year proved one thing, Conservatism in Formula 1 is a deathwish, keep with the development pace or you will become the laughing stock of the grid.
RIAL first entered Formula 1 the previous season in 1988 with a single car for Italian veteran Andrea De Cesaris, they were run by quite possibly the hardest nosed team principal F1 has ever seen, the volatile German alloy wheel magnate Gunter Schmid who had a moderately successful 7 year stint with ATS in Formula 1, the best year of which was 1982 where with Manfred Winklehock and Eliseo Salazar, ATS managed to pick up 4 points and finish 12th in the constructors championship, Schmid also gave future race winner Gerhard Berger his F1 debut too before pulling out at the end of 1984 after his engine supplier (BMW) refused to prelong their contract.
But back to RIAL and their 1989 car, the ARC2, this car was basically an improved version of the 1988 car, the ARC1 designed by Gustav Brunner. It was a simple, neat and quick package which never once failed to qualify in De Cesaris's hands, only once did he fail to qualify outside the top 20 and even managed a 4th place in Detroit, giving RIAL 3 points and a finish of 9th spot in the constructors championship, this did not come however without problems and many run in's with the FIA and the stewards and also Schmid's temprament too which was a factor in Brunner taking his design talents to the rival German squad Zakspeed.
The ARC2 however did have Brunner's input though, this was because it was a revamped ARC1 to meet the new aerodynamic and engine regulations (e.g an airbox.) De Cesaris by now had left the team as it expanded to 2 cars for 2 German drivers, Christian Danner and sportscar star Volker Weidler. Because of the expansion to 2 cars, only Danner's was entered for full qualifying forcing Weidler into the pre-qualifying lottery.) Weidler though was clearly out of his depth in F1, clearly missing his roots in sportscars and failed to pre-qualify on every occasion. Danner did not fare much better even though he did qualify the car on 4 occasions, the best of which being 17th spot on the grid in Brazil and a points finish in Phoenix, another 4th place.
But the car suffered hugely from appaling reliability when in qualifying trim and a lack of development from mid-season onwards, it passed the best before date practically after the 1st race of the season. Danner's 4th spot in Phoenix though at least saved the car from pre-qualifying allowing Weidler to progress into the final 30 qualifying sessions for the rest of the season. That was when though Schmid's temper reached boiling point, it was clear that for RIAL to maintain a level of competitive respectability, they needed a huge revamp of the current car or a new one altogether but Schmid simply refused to accept this fact and insisted that the team soldier on with the hopelessly uncompetitive ARC2, he even began to have a say in car setups for each race and then blamed his drivers for not qualifying the cars using his setup suggestions, the whole team was now bordering on farcical, never mind the cars.
After the Hungarian GP, it all got too much for chief designer Stefan Fober who left after Schmid demanded he paid an FIA fine out of his own pocket, Weidler was also sacked after one DNQ too many and was replaced by wealthy journeyman Pierre-Henri Raphanel, this did not help matters as he also failed to qualify the car on every outing he had, even the hiring of a new designer (Christian Van Der Pleyn) was a waste of time because the car had fallen so far behind in the development stakes in the first place. After yet another DNQ in Italy, Danner walked out on the team too to be replaced by Gregor Foitek. He lasted only 1 practice session after a massive shunt left the FIA wondering how on earth the ARC2 had managed to pass the crash tests.
Overall the ARC2 proved to be RIAL's downfall as they unsuprisingly shutdown after the 1989 season, their year proved one thing, Conservatism in Formula 1 is a deathwish, keep with the development pace or you will become the laughing stock of the grid.
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