SEPTEMBER 25, 2001
Arrows signs Rinland
The Arrows team has signed up former Sauber designer Sergio Rinland as its new chief designer. Rinland has been out of work since being fired by Sauber at the start of the year but in recent weeks has been talking to both Arrows and Reynard, which wanted him to design an IRL car for 2003.
The recruitment of Rinland gives Arrows a chief designer to replace Egbahl Hamidy, who left last year to join Jordan. Rinland will work on the design of the Arrows-Cosworth A23.
Rinland has been involved in F1 design since 1983 when he worked with RAM Automotive. He then spent time with Williams, Dallara and finally Brabham before establishing his own design office called Astauto, which designed a car for Fondmetal.
He then spent several years out of F1 before taking a job as senior composite engineer at Benetton, a move position which led to him being hired as chief designer at Sauber for this year's Sauber-Petronas C20. He fell out with Peter Sauber just before the new car was launched.
Rinland is expected to work with Arrows's technical director Mike Coughlan and with aerodynamicist Nicolo Petrucci.