Frentzen signs for Arrows

The announcement was made at Valencia, the home of Frentzen's Spanish mother, and the three-time GP winner made his debut for his new team early in the morning.

"I'm very much looking forward to racing for Arrows," said Frentzen. "The team has a fantastic facility and a lot of very talented and dedicated people. All the ingredients are there to take a major step forward and I'm convinced we will be successful."

His signing brings to an end months of speculation over who will drive alongside Enrique Bernoldi in the Cosworth-powered car, which the team hopes will improve on last year's disappointing showing, when it netted just one point.

"We're very pleased that Heinz-Harald is joining the team," said team boss, Tom Walkinshaw. "He is a recognised top-line driver and has proved his mettle by winning three grands prix. We are at an important stage in the development of Arrows and feel that Heinz-Harald has the necessary experience to help us move forward."

Frentzen made his GP debut for Sauber in 1994. He left to join Williams in 1997, but despite winning the San Marino GP that year, he failed to gel with the team and left to join Jordan at the end of the next season. He was a surprise contender for the 1999 championship with Eddie Jordan's team, winning two races. However, the relationship turned sour mid-way through last year and he was sacked ahead of the German GP. A brief stint Prost failed to yield any points.

He is the first race winner to drive for Arrows since Damon Hill in 1997.