HRT Formula 1 Team

The HRT Formula 1 Team, originally Campos Meta 1, was Spain’s foray into F1 from 2010 to 2012. Founded by Adrián Campos and later sold to José Ramón Carabante and Thesan Capital, it struggled financially throughout its time on the grid. Despite efforts, including a driver lineup that featured talents like Bruno Senna and Daniel Ricciardo, the team failed to score any points. HRT’s attempt to establish a Spanish base in F1 ultimately ended when it couldn’t find a buyer by the end of 2012, leading to its exit from the sport.

Notable Team Members and Drivers

Colin Kolles: As the Team Principal for HRT during its initial seasons, Colin Kolles played a crucial role in the team’s formation and early operations. He brought significant experience from his time with other F1 teams, such as Jordan, Midland, Spyker, and Force India.

Pedro de la Rosa: A veteran Spanish Formula 1 driver, Pedro de la Rosa joined HRT in 2012. Despite the team’s limited resources and competitiveness, de la Rosa’s leadership and feedback were crucial in the development of the car.

Vitantonio Liuzzi: Another experienced driver, Vitantonio Liuzzi, competed for HRT in 2011. Having previously raced for teams like Red Bull, Toro Rosso, and Force India, Liuzzi brought a wealth of experience to HRT. His time with the team was part of their effort to stabilise and improve their performance in the championship.

The team’s start stemmed from a partnership between Adrián Campos of Campos Racing and Enrique Rodríguez from Meta Image and was initially known as Campos Meta.

Initially, the team’s administrative and marketing offices were situated within Meta Images’s premises in Madrid, whereas the technical operations were based out of Campos Racing’s facilities in Alzira, Valencia. In October 2009, an agreement was reached with the regional government of Murcia to construct new facilities for the team within the Parque Tecnológico Fuente Álamo.

In June 2009, the FIA announced Campos Meta as one of the three new teams for the 2010 season, alongside US F1 Team and Manor Grand Prix.

During the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, Campos confirmed the signing of Bruno Senna, nephew of legendary Formula One champion Ayrton Senna, as one of their drivers for their debut 2010 season.

Despite FIA approval in December 2009, Bernie Ecclestone expressed doubts about the team’s readiness to compete in the 2010 F1 season opener. Following a series of private discussions and organisational changes, it was revealed that José Ramón Carabante, the principal shareholder, assumed full ownership of the team from Adrián Campos. Colin Kolles also succeeded Campos as the team principal. Consequently, the team rebranded to Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT), drawing the new name from Grupo Hispania, a business owned by Carabante. The operational base of the team was relocated from Meta Image’s Madrid location to the Grupo Hispania offices in Murcia. In March 2010, Karun Chandhok was announced as the team’s second driver. That same day, the team unveiled their Dallara-built, Cosworth-engine F110 car.

2010 season

The 2010 Formula One season marked the debut of the Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT), which encountered numerous challenges throughout the year. Starting the season with significant financial constraints and a late formation, HRT struggled with competitiveness and reliability issues. The team’s drivers for their inaugural season were Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok, with Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Klien also participating in various races throughout the season.

HRT’s F110, powered by Cosworth engines and designed by Dallara, was the last to be unveiled and had no pre-season testing, putting the team at a disadvantage before lights out of the first race. Throughout the season, the team frequently occupied the back of the grid, with their cars often qualifying and finishing in the last positions.

HRT completed the season without scoring any points, reflecting their struggles with performance and development compared to their more established competitors. The team’s best race finish was 14th, achieved on a few occasions, which was not enough to lift them out of 11th place in the 2010 Constructors’ Championship.

2011 season

The 2011 Formula One season was another challenging year for HRT, as they grappled with the limitations of being one of the sport’s newer and less financially equipped teams. The season saw a change in the driver lineup, with Narain Karthikeyan and Vitantonio Liuzzi taking the wheel for most of the races and Daniel Ricciardo joining mid-season to replace Karthikeyan.

HRT’s car for the 2011 season, the F111, again suffered from a lack of pre-season testing, significantly hampering the team’s development and performance. Despite slightly improving the car’s design and aesthetics, HRT struggled to move up the grid and spent most of the season battling at the back with fellow backmarkers.

The team’s financial and technical struggles were evident as they faced difficulties closing the gap to the midfield teams. HRT’s performance improved little from the previous season, and they again failed to score any points. Their best finishes were a couple of 13th places, leaving HRT at the bottom of the table in 11th place, with no points. The only bonus was they finished ahead of Virgin Racing.

2012 season

The 2012 season would be the team’s last. Their drivers, Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan, hoped for a more competitive car in the F112, but despite the teams’ efforts, HRT remained at the back of the grid, with ongoing financial difficulties and limited development resources.

Like its predecessors, the F112 was underdeveloped due to restricted pre-season testing. The team struggled to meet the 107% qualifying rule, which required teams to set a time within 107% of the fastest time in Q1 to race. HRT frequently fought to qualify for races, though they participated in almost all events besides the season-opening 2012 Australian Grand Prix.

Throughout the season, HRT’s performances did little to alter their position as backmarkers in the sport. The team failed to score any points for the third consecutive season, only achieving a high of 17th on several occasions. This lack of success translated into a last-place finish in the 2012 Constructors’ Championship.