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.

 

[RasputinLives]

Well thats dissapointing. With all the drivers begging for a seat in F1 at the moment there was a name I didn't expect to be on the drivers list next year. I know they said they were going to get a Spanish driver in but thats not who I expected.

I guess they'll argue he is porbably the most experienced test driver in the business and the development skills and experience he'll bring will be invaluable. Didn't seem to work at Sauber though.

Lets hope they back it up with a young driver in the other seat - Maybe Dani Clos and an all Spanish line-up

 

[teabagyokel]

I guess they'll argue he is porbably the most experienced test driver in the business and the development skills and experience he'll bring will be invaluable. Didn't seem to work at Sauber though.

Or did it? They were pretty dire at the start of last season and developed apace, something you'd rarely if ever associate with Sauber.

 

[Galahad]

Yikes. A team who haven't been able to get a car built in time for pre-season testing in two attempts, signs one of the best test drivers. He'll be 41 by the start of next season.

Maybe they'll get Adrian Campos for the second seat?

 

[teabagyokel]

Maybe they'll get Adrian Campos for the second seat?

I think HRT would fit in with Roberto Moreno's CV pretty perfectly, you know!

 

[RasputinLives]

Maybe Campos Jr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrián_Campos,_Jr.

 

[MCLS]

Well if anything PDR has experience, something HRT have lacked in the driver seats.

 

[gethinceri]

Shame.

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

WOW Simply WOWSERS. Never saw this one coming quite a shock indeed that another 40 year old is gonna be on the grid. Not that Pedro is a bad driver i just think he won't be able to cut it especially if Dani Clos or Daniel Riccardio as his teammate.

 

[RasputinLives]

Barrichello is still a strong tip for the second Hispania seat if he's not retained by Williams. Would give them an excellent development team which by the way Colin Kolles is talking is exactly what they're aiming at. I guess its a great tactic in order to get the team up to a level with the other midfield runners in time for the engine rule change in 2014 which might work out brilliantly for them. Can't help but feel its a bit dull though.

Would Pedro and Rubens be the oldest driver pairing in F1 history?

 

[FB]

I bet there were some in the 1950's which were older.

 

[Galahad]

I bet there were some in the 1950's which were older.

There were.

The Alfa Romeo team in 1950 consisted of Fagioli (51), Farina (43) and Fangio (38). They finished 1-2-3 in the championship.

It might be the oldest pairing since the 1950s, though. Struggling to think of any others; Mansell-Patrese in 1992 were 37 and 38 respectively.

 

[RasputinLives]

Oh come on boys

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/65019.html

I had so much positivity for you after your development this year - if you're gonna take the trouble to employ the best test driver in the business at least be sure you're gonna get it on the track for testing!

 

[teabagyokel]

 

[RasputinLives]

In other Hispania news its believed that Liuzzi has another year on his current contract with the team and will be in a race seat next year....................if they build the car on time

 

[cider_and_toast]

I second that. FFS how hard can it be? The team has shown signs of real progress on the track since the half way point of the season but I'm now thinking they haven't progressed as much as the Virgin must be a woefully bad car.

How on earth are the team going to bring in new sponsorship while the CEO makes statements like that?

 

[RasputinLives]

and yet more HRT news

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96427

key line for me in the article is Jan Charouz thanking his father and his sponsors for thier support. Its all about the money money money!

 

[Galahad]

If I was building some parts for HRT's new car, I think I'd be asking for payment up front.

 

[MCLS]

Considering the problems HRT have had, to avoid finishing last in the Championship for the second year in a row isn't bad going really,

 

[RasputinLives]

Also lets make a note that both HRT's out qualified both 'Virgins' in Brazil. Liuzzi being half a second quicker than Timo Glock.

When you look back to the first race of the season and see that Liuzzi was a full 3 seconds slower than Glock you have to say they did a good job during the year (and probably that Virgin did a bad one) and deserve the 11th place.

 

[RasputinLives]

Spokesmen has changed their mind now and said that despite tight deadlines they will be around for pre-season testing - oh and their car is def not being built by Caternham. That might not be that much of a good thing though.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96720