Hispania rules the waves?

RasputinLives

No passing through my dirty air please
Contributor
Ok to those regular readers of Clip The Apex it will be no surprise to hear me declare I have a soft spot for Hispania as the ultimate underdog. Some of you will remember I recently declared I was losing faith in the team however I've had a bit of a rethink on that and have decided that Hispania are setting a very good example for any under funded team wanting to establish itself in F1. Ok you can stop laughing now and listen to my reasoning.

In July 2011 the team was purchesed by Spanish Investment group Thesan Capital who decided to uproot the team from its German base and establish them in Spain in order to give the team a more Spanish identity, They even brought in a former Spanish F1 driver to be the new team principle in the form of Luiz Perez-Sala. In order to do this Hispania put a delay on producing their 2012 car and were required to replace 90% of their work staff to the F1 fans of the world this seemed an absolute joke. The logical thing would have been to build the car and get as much testing in as possible and worry about the relocation later right? Also this Spanish National Team thing is silly right? What do they expect Fernando Alonso is just going to drop everything and join them? course not. Well maybe the F1 fan only thinks of things in an F1 way and maybe whats needed is to think in a business way.

Germany is a big F1 country - probably the second biggest after Great Britain. The idea of locating itself in Germany was that the staff it needed would already be there however you have to think would the sponsors be? With 5 German drivers, a German engine supplier and a German team(all be it based in GB) not to menton Red Bull's big Austrian link anyone in Germany wanting to invest money in F1 have a lot of options. Spain however, other than Santander, is pretty much an untapped resource as until Alonso rose to fame there was no interest in the sport whatsoever and whislt no title sponser is going to occur from the move, a relocation to Spain and a Spanish identity would certainly attract the smaller Spanish investors. To prove this you have to only look at the recent deal with Azkar. Azkar are a spanish international transport company who specialize in import and export who have over 87 facilites world wide and a fleet of 3000 trucks for transportation. Azkar get their name on the car and get written about in articles like this as well as getting plenty of free tickets for Grand Prix to woo their prospective clients with whilst HRT are given a reasonable sized cheque as well as assuring themselves completely free transport of their staff and machines to every Grand Prix which lets face it must slash their bill for the year. Not only that but with the factory move creating jobs and them promoting Spanish business has to appeal to the Spanish government and could open up the avenue for some possible government investment.

Now how am I going to justify their crazy driver line-up? well I can't completely but I think you have to look at it in the long term. The team had announced a Spanish identity and needed someone to represent that but at the same time they needed someone with the experience to tell them exactly what was going on with their car development. Now if you scrub out Fernando Alonso's name and considered that Jamie Alguersauri is a no go their really is only one option and thats why they opted for Pedro De La Rosa. Is Pedro going to set the races alight? no of course he's not, he belongs to the breed of driver who can tell you exactly what you need to make a car fast but doesn't seem to be able to drive it to its full potential but in the position HRT are in right now do they really need a racer? Or do they need someone who's been in the sport for a decade and can advise them on what they need to do? As for the second driver. I think we were all a bit stunned when Karthakeyen was announced again but lets not forget in the one race he was up against Ricciardo he beat him in qualifying and in the race fair and square so maybe he isn't as bad as we rate him and also HRT need to secure their future so why not take his money and make sure they spend it wisely?

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that HRT could have built their 2012 car early and got it out testing the moment they could with 2 young up and coming chargers at the wheel and what would have happened? They probably would not have got any further up the field than second to last team which is a position they already have. As Brogan points out in a recent article the testing restriction makes it impossible for these new teams to make a quick jump to join the pack so why should Hispania make that their priority? If they are going to be dueling it out with the Marussia's anyway why not make sure the teams financial future is secure and set up a system so that eventually they can claw thier way up field. You only have to look in the background driver wise to see they know this. Dani Clos as thier 3rd driver doing Friday session is thier hope for the future(and attraction for new Spanish investment) who I'm sure they'll get in the car the first oppotunity in their budget they can. I'm pretty sure Clos will run in GP2 as well in order to get himself more backing in order to be odds on for that seat when Karthakeyens cash runs out but running Friday session for HRT will do him no harm at all. Before the new driver-line up was revealed it was made clear that Antonio Liuzzi was working with them behind the scenes on development and having driven for Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Force India again I'm sure his experience was invaluable. Its not been announced that he's left and he was suppose to have a contract so it would not surprise me if he wasn't still helping them now. Last season we saw Hispania start being 2 seconds behind its nearest rival and finish the season pretty much in front of them - thats a big gain. I think the aim this year is to keep developing that car and keep learning, Gleem what they can from the experience of going to every Grand Prix in the hope that one day they'll get to use it. It occurs to me that if you're a young and under budgeted team this is the only way to play it - results are never going to come so learning and establishing is the best way forward.

Another thought, which I think was originally planted in my head by TBY. if you asked the majority of casual F1 fans who the worst team in F1 were they would all plump for HRT. Not a good thing right? Not the ideal situation no but they are a team who the world know. They do get column inches. They even get TV time which at least gives them something to promise the sponsors. Virgin/Marussia have if anything done a worse job than Hispania over the last 2 years and thats with more backing, a more approved of driver line up and even a link with Mclaren but nobody is interested and no one has heard of them. You only have to look at our discussion thread to see that HRT have twice as many comments as Marussia did and when it was thought HRT's car wouldn't be ready in time for the tests people cared enough to insult them and talk about it - when Marussia announced no car before the Grand Prix I think their were barely 3 comments. F1 is all about publicity and any is better than none.

So what do you think? Are Hispania doing a good job of securing the teams future and should that come before attempting results? or do you think I'm talking nonsense and they've made a pigs ear of it?
 
I read somewhere that Alguersuari turned the seat down. Great article by the way.

I said it before, HRT's roll in F1 is not to be a title contender yet. They are a stepping stone into the sport. I am aware that this is not happening yet, but their long term goals suggest it. As Rasputin said, the team needed to get things in order for the future. F1 is a long game and being short sighted will only lead you to the sidelines.
 
I think a Spanish national team was a great idea at the time it was proposed. Unfortunately with the economy on its backside - more so than the countries of N Europe - they're going to face a lot of challenges in finding funding.

My guess would be that the next owners, or possibly the ones after that, will be the ones who finally score a point with this outfit.
 
I said it before, HRT's roll in F1 is not to be a title contender yet. They are a stepping stone into the sport. I am aware that this is not happening yet, but their long term goals suggest it. As Rasputin said, the team needed to get things in order for the future. F1 is a long game and being short sighted will only lead you to the sidelines.
I totally agree. IMO just at the moment HRT need to concentrate on "not failing", which is not the same as "succeeding". It appears to me that teams that overreach too early end up failing and slowly disappearing.
 
Great article mate, it has made me reappraise my view of HRT and, in fact, I would concur that they are a better team than Marussia (or anyone else's russia for that matter), it will now be necessary to pay them more attention this season.
 
I would question whether Virgin/Marussia are a worse team than HRT. Marussia seem a far more professional outfit that went down the wrong road on design with Nick Wirth and his "magic CFD machine". HRT look like a bunch of amateurs who have got lucky by beating Marussia on countback over the last 2 years. My money, with Mclaren's assistance, is that Marussia will have a much better car this season and have two drivers who will be able to utilise that improvement in a way PdlR and Narain won't.

Don't get me wrong, like all British fans, I love the "plucky underdog". Osella were brilliant, as were Minardi but I just can't see where HRT can improve with some of the decisions they are making regarding design location, driver choices and sponsorship. Let's face it, unless you are Ferrari, the only place to build an F1 car is in the area around Silverstone which has all the companies and facilities to make the right thing in the sort of time scales F1 needs. Look how Toro Rosso have slipped since they stopped using second hand Red Bull chassis. They aren't too far away from Ferrari's HQ and, I'm sure, benefit from the main Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes helping out.

HRT now have to build up both the intellectual and physical supply infrastructure around their new HQ with no money. It just ain't gonna happen, particularly with the economic mess Spain is in at the moment.
 
Well you have to admit that none of us would have believed that HRT would have made it this far given all the trouble they've had, if they can beat Marussia again they'll be doing well
 
I would question whether Virgin/Marussia are a worse team than HRT. Marussia seem a far more professional outfit that went down the wrong road on design with Nick Wirth and his "magic CFD machine". HRT look like a bunch of amateurs who have got lucky by beating Marussia on countback over the last 2 years. My money, with Mclaren's assistance, is that Marussia will have a much better car this season and have two drivers who will be able to utilise that improvement in a way PdlR and Narain won't.

I think you need to look at Marussia a bit more closely they in fact have pretty much made the same 'amateur' decisions as Hispania along the way but the press doesn't seem to jump up and down about it. Marussia have also replaced 90% of their staff this summer after the Nick Wirth thing - infact they were still advertising for an aerodynamsist just 3 weeks ago. Thier 2012 car too has also failed its crash test and their new car will not turn a wheel until the first race weekend. They too have a pay driver in the name of Charles Pic who, despite looking good in lower formula, has no experience at all in F1 and therefore whether he can get more out of the car than Pedro De La Rosa or Narain is still questionable. They are owned by an actual car manufacter in Marussia. They have managed to capture the services of a well respected driver. They've had much more financial backing than HRT as well as far more backing from people in the industry itself (Mclaren and Mosley to name but 2) yet still they've managed to finish 12th in both previous seasons, do not have the base of operations set up or even to build on like HRT and after their initial CFD plan turned out to be a disastor seem to have no plan other than to hope Pat Symonds can save them. Lets also remember that the Marussia/Virgin/Manor team only got their place coz they were mates with Max anyways. Their first car in 2010 didn't even have a big enough fuel tank to get them to the end of the race! Yet somehow these points get forgotten and the amatur tag gets thrown at Hispania.

Look how Toro Rosso have slipped since they stopped using second hand Red Bull chassis.

Toro Rosso had their second best season ever in 2011 only coming second to the 2009 season when they had Sebastian Vettel at the wheel.

Let's face it, unless you are Ferrari, the only place to build an F1 car is in the area around Silverstone which has all the companies and facilities to make the right thing in the sort of time scales F1 needs.

I do see where you're coming from FB and you're not wrong with any of it but once again the amount of teams around their utilising the facilites gives very little oppotunity for a new slower team like HRT to get thier foot in the door and make some deals. They could sign on to the same as everyone else but what would be the point? They'd never catch up. In fact, like you say, with the economy how it is they'd probably be the first to go. I can see how it makes sense to try and build your own supply and base somewhere else. Lets not forget that idea hasn't turned out too badly for Peter Sauber.

As for the Spanish economy, you are correct that its in a terrible state although you can hardly blame Hispania for that, but answer me this without companies like Hispania racing taking a chance in a country such as Spain and creating jobs and contract services how is the economic situation going to improve anyway?
 
Marussia, realising their failings, have picked up a deal with Mclaren to take advantage of their facilities after the CFD nonsense so, not having the infrastructure ,they have addressed this in the quickest way possible - buy time on something that exists. Toro Rosso, to me, have gone backwards since they started making their own cars, that is the point I was trying to make. They may have had a good season last season but it's all relative.

On Sauber, I knew that would come up. Sauber have been making cars in Hinwell since the 70's and have an established infrastructure. But, and it's a big but, even with the money BMW could throw at the team they never won anything much. How much more could they have achieved if based in the UK?

If you are starting out in a new business you build it up where the knowledge and expertise are, unless you have an unlimited pot of money. But look at Toyota - "we will make our cars in Germany as they have a great engineering base". Not for F1 they don't sunshine, even Mercedes build all their cars and engines in the UK.

I fully expect Marussia to make a great leap forward in 2012 whilst HRT will keep propping up the back of the grid. I would also suggest that the in both 2010 and 2011 the Virgin/Marussia cars got slower through the season which was the reason why HRT were able to "beat" them in the WCC.

Please don't misunderstand, I hope HRT do well but I just think they have gone about it the wrong way. Be the Spanish National team if you want, just as Force India are for India, Red Bull are for Austria and Mercedes are for Germany, but build the bloody car where you can make it work.
 
I would also suggest that the in both 2010 and 2011 the Virgin/Marussia cars got slower through the season which was the reason why HRT were able to "beat" them in the WCC.

Sorry mate that one's just not true

Slowest Virgin was 5.5 seconds off the pace in Q1 in Australia and 3.5 off the pace in Q1 in Brazil

Meanwhile slowest HRT was 9 seconds off the pace in Q1 in Australia and 3.2 off the pace in Q1 Brazil


I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one FB.

But I will say on Marussia that despite all the positives you've said they've still not produced a 2012 car yet that is fit for F1 racing and theres hardly been any talk about it at all across the media. When HRT did it last year the buzz around the net was they should be thrown out for being an embarrasment to F1. No such call on Marussia because they're more 'respected' in the industry (and British of course).

I guess I'm of the thought that says trail blaze something new because if you just follow the rest thats exactly what you'll always be doing. Following the rest.
 
Slowest Virgin was 5.5 seconds off the pace in Q1 in Australia and 3.5 off the pace in Q1 in Brazil

Meanwhile slowest HRT was 9 seconds off the pace in Q1 in Australia and 3.2 off the pace in Q1 Brazil

I will make this my last post on the subject as we won't agree but don't those figures prove my point that the HRT was faster at season's end that the Virgin?
 
Just as an add on to the article I thought this was relevent

http://totalf1.com/full_story/view/404628/HRT_confirm_new_sponsor/

Hispania have now confirmed a link with Spanish IT company Ermestel who in return for having their name painted on the car will provide HRT with all thier IT and technological needs which adds to my point about Hispania building itself a base of operations and a platform to continue exisiting as an F1 team before they worry about being competitve.
 
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