HRT

Hispania

FIA Entry: HRT F1 Team
Car 22: Narain Karthikeyan
Car 23: Vitantonio Liuzzi
Engin:e Cosworth V8
Team Principal: Colin Kolles
Technical Director: Geoff Willis
Race Engineer Car 22: Angel Baena
Race Engineer Car 23 Richard Connell

Stats as of end 2010

First Entered 2010
Races Entered 19
Race Wins 0
Pole Positions 0
Fastest Laps 0
Driver World Championships 0
Constructor World Championships 0

Campos Racing

Having run cars in lower formulae former F1 driver Adrian Campos secured one of the 3 places for new teams in F1 for 2010. He commissioned Dallara to build a chassis and signed a deal to use Cosworth engines and Xtrac gearboxes. They also announced that Bruno Senna, nephew of Ayrton, would drive for them.

Struggling for funds, especially to pay for the Dallara Chassis, Campos was bought out by major shareholder in Campos Racing Jose Ramon Carabante and the team renamed Hispania Racing Team

HRT

The team’s financial problems meant they were unable to take part in any pre-season testing and arrived at the first race with Karun Chandhok partnering Senna in completely untried cars. Unsurprisingly both cars were somewhat off the pace and retired early on. By Malaysia reliability had improved, if not speed, and both cars finished.

Continuing financial problems meant both Senna and Chandhok were substituted for Sakon Yamamoto, at various races and at the end of the season Christian Klien was drafted in to try and move the team further up the grid. Despite their poor pace the team finished 11th out of 12 in the Constructors Championship on count back of minor placing’s.

2011

Financial problems continue to dog the team into 2011 and they again missed pre-season testing as the new F111 car wasn’t built in time. Jordan driver from 2005 Narain Karthikeyan is partnered by Force India refugee Vitantonio Liuzzi and the team continue with Cosworth engines.

 

[Jen]

Sad, sad news - yes, they were crap but they tried in a very exacting world and you have to give them credit for that?! Some of our greatest teams started out as 'triers'.

 

[soccerman17]

Can't quite say Liuzzi was the greatest driver they ever had. Verdict still out on Ricciardo. And I would give them credit for trying but I feel like it wasn't much of an effort so I won't. Props for making the grid though.

 

[RasputinLives]

I kinda meant Liuzzi performed the best when he was there but I take your point on Ricciardo. We'll see with him where he's going with his career over the next 12 months I think.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Sad, sad news - yes, they were crap

I love it when you talk dirty Jen

 

[cider_and_toast]

If HRT could have just turned up for pre-season testing on time with the a car ready for the season, just once out of their 3 attempts then they may have stood half a chance. With the lack of in season testing there was no way they were ever going to come from that far from behind. Always sad to see a team close its doors but they were never going to progress with the kind of inter seasonal farce that went on each year. The fact that they managed each year, to improve the car from such an awful start makes you wonder what they could have achieved with the talent they had, with a bit more cash and a lot more stability.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Hard to believe the Hispania wasn't too quick at Belgium 2010 with this front wing.

 

[gethinceri]

Probably quicker if they'd left the jack under it.