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.

 

[Slyboogy]

I heard Van der Garde is, he has 10million pound/euro/dollar/some sort of currency worth of sponsorship.

It's also been stated that D'Ambrosio is up for a race seat, apparently in the autosport forum, D'Ambrosio or his management said "Sutil is his main rival for the seat"

 

[RasputinLives]

I guess with a 90% change in staff they'd want to keep somethings stable. I read this as the seat is open to buy as they need the money but right now there utilising the fact Liuzzi is under contract to use his experience to get as much technical data and assistance in the simulators as they can for the new car.

I much as I've always been a champion of what HRT are doing I really have my doubts we'll see the car on track before the season starts. I hope I'm wrong though.

 

[RasputinLives]

I heard Van der Garde is, he has 10million pound/euro/dollar/some sort of currency worth of sponsorship.

It's also been stated that D'Ambrosio is up for a race seat, apparently in the autosport forum, D'Ambrosio or his management said "Sutil is his main rival for the seat"

Van der Garde has been trying to buy himself an F1 seat for years now according to out Dutch member so that doesn't surprise me and if he has the money I think he'll be in.

As for Mr D'ambrosio taking the seat - I have to say I thought he deserved another a year - whether he'll get anything productive out of it I don't know.

As for the Sutil thing maybe it means if he's found guilty in his court case the judge is going to sentence him to years hard labour driving for HRT!

 

[Slyboogy]

Liked just for the last part!!

 

[RasputinLives]

Actually thinking about it HRT's best option surely is to strike some form of deal with Ferrari where they run Bianchi in the second seat in turn for some 2011 Ferrari engines. It'd certainly give them the edge over Marussia

 

[Slyboogy]

That was the case last season but I think the deal broke down or didn't go ahead, I wrote something about it in the HRT team review.

 

[Brogan]

Unsurprisingly, HRT are last to finalise their line-up.

I Tweeted my displeasure: https://twitter.com/#!/ClipTheApex/status/159601840026157056

 

[RasputinLives]

Have they even confirmed their engine supplier yet?

 

[Brogan]

Nope.
It's obviously going to be Cosworth though.

 

[RasputinLives]

I'd say thats 95% certain but Renault are supplying 4 so Merc or Ferrari might feel they could do a deal with someone else.

If I'm honest given their Mclaren connection I was half expeting Marussia to do a deal for some Merc engines that had been left at the back of the factory.

Surely with Williams and Caterham gone now HRT will be Cosworths main focus right?

 

[Brogan]

Probably a discussion for another thread, but can Cosworth survive supplying just one team?

 

[RasputinLives]

Can they survive with just the back 2 teams? Think thats worth an article Bro

 

[Brogan]

Giedo van der Garde to get the second seat?

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12433/7442014/

 

[RasputinLives]

He has been making noises about being in F1 for quite a while - Josh our dutch member might know a bit more but he said he'd been in the press for months on about it. Sounds like he has the right amount of money.

There you go Brogan - you lean on HRT to announce their driver line-up and the next day theres a story about it

 

[FB]

I was trying to remember the name of the "freaky deaky Dutchman" being touted for the Hispania seat. Here's his Wiki page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giedo_van_der_Garde

Not a stunning resume but then Eric van der Poele once drove an F1 car...

 

[Kamui-FastestChefInTheWorld]

Not a stunning resume but then Eric van der Poele once drove an F1 car...

Well, he fits their criteria of 'young(ish) driver with money and a vague bit of talent'

 

[teabagyokel]

Well, he fits their criteria of 'young(ish) driver with money and a vague bit of talent'

Just to question this, but is their criteria not 'young(ish) driver with money and a vague bit of talent'

 

[Kamui-FastestChefInTheWorld]

Just to question this, but is their criteria not 'young(ish) driver with money and a vague bit of talent'

Their criteria from press releases, etc. were young driver with money and potential. Although I'd agree that the highest bidder wins.

 

[teabagyokel]

Their criteria from press releases, etc. were young driver with money and potential.

HRT say a lot of things in press releases, don't they? They have followed this up by hiring Pedro de la Rosa who has neither!

HRT don't need to go far to impress anyone with their driver choices because everyone simply suspects they'd put Deletraz (48 years old) in the car if he paid them enough!

 

[Kamui-FastestChefInTheWorld]

Well, there was a 48 year old GP3 driver at Monza last year, so you never know...