Arrows A22 “Top Wing” (2001): The Wing That Didn’t Last

Arrows A22 Top Wing was banned before the race even began, but why was it banned, did it actually work, and what did it really do?

At the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix, a futuristic-looking wing appeared above the nose of the Arrows A22, but it disappeared after just one day.

Arrows A22 Top Wing – 2001 Monaco Grand Prix

During practice at Monaco; the Arrows team rullet out something nobody had really seen before.

Mounted above the nose cone; supported by a thin vertical strut, sat a small triangular wing… it looked almost like a second, floating front wing; detached from the rest of the car.

The idea behind it wasn’t random; Monaco is a circuit where outright speed matters less than precision and grip, the tight corners demand strong front-end downforce, and that is exactly what Arrows was trying to improve.

With Jos Verstappen behind the wheel; the team began testing this unusual solution, the concept was simple in theory… by placing a wing higher up in a cleaner air, they hoped to generate extra downforce without disturbing the airflow going to the main front wing below.

We’ve seen many of those innovations in the past that didn’t last long. Years earlier, we saw the Tyrrell X-wings in 1998, which were also banned. Later came the BMW Williams “dumbo wings” in 2006, and the same happened with the Honda F1 Team in 2008.

F1 Loophole… and a Risk

The top wing existed in a grey area of the regulations; so there was no explicit rule saying a team couldn’t place an aero element there… at least not in that exact form, so Arrows took the risk!

But F1 rules aren’t only about what is written clearly; there are broader clauses that allow the FIA to step in when something feels unsafe or outside the spirit of the sport, and it didn’t take long for that to happen.

The FIA Steps In

Reports suggest that almost as soon as the car hit the track; questions began to circulate in the paddock.

The wing was small, but its position raised concerns; so by the end of the first practice day, the FIA had made its decision.

The device was banned before it could even reach qualifying.

The reason wasn’t based on performance alone; a structure mounted so high on a narrow support could potentially fail, and if it detached at speed… it would become a serious hazard.

There were also the issue of visibility; drivers rely on a clear forward view, especially around a street circuit like Monaco where walls are always just inches away; a wing sitting directly in the line of sight wasn’t something competitors were comfortable with.

Then there were the unspoken factor, so the wing simply didn’t look right.

F1 has always cared, at least to some extent, about how the cars present themselves, and the A22’s nose wing looked more experimental prototype than polished race car.

Officially, it was removed under safety regulations.

Anecdote: We think the same story could have been repeated… the Arrows A22 “Top Wing” could have ended up like the controversial X-wings seen in 1998, especially after Jean Alesi’s dramatic pit lane incident in Argentina, where one of the fragile wing structures caught a fuel hose and ripped free during a stop. These small elements were visually unusual but also potentially dangerous, as they could snag equipment or even break off at speed. and that was one of the key reasons they were eventually banned.

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Gone Before It Ever Raced

What makes the story fascinating is how brief it really was… it never appeared in qualifying, never lined up on the grid.

It existed for a few laps in practice, and that was it!

The FIA made it clear, if Arrows insisted to use it, they wouldn’t be allowed to compete that weekend.

That decision left the team with no choice, the wing came off, and the A22 returned to a more conventional setup for the rest of the weekend.

Not the Only Crazy Idea That Weekend

Arrows wasn’t alone in trying something unusual at Monaco… Jordan F1 team also arrived with its own interpretation of extra aerodynamics elements, placing a mid-wing just ahead of the cockpit on the Jordan EJ11.

That idea met the same fate, immediate attention, quick scrutiny, and then a swift ban.

The Race Everyone Remembers Anyway

Even without the top wing, it was a weekend to remember for the team…

During the race, Arrows driver Enrique Bernoldi found himself in front of a much faster David Coulthard.

What followed turned into one of Monaco’s most talked-about moments…

For lap after lap; Bernoldi held his position, defending against the pole sitter of Monaco GP, Coulthard, despite having the quicker car, couldn’t find a way through for 35 laps.

Bernoldi eventually finished ninth, but the story stuck.

We expected him to be the future star of F1. 2001 was Bernoldi’s first F1 season, and he debuted alongside Montoya, Alonso, and Räikkönen, but sadly his F1 story was brief, and he never got another chance to secure a seat in Formula 1.

FEATURED IMAGE CREDITS: Andrew Basterfield / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)