Javier Villa could start in F1 as early as 2011 with HRT
Approached by Thesan Capital, the Spanish driver could participate in Friday practice sessions and take part in the last Grand Prix races in place of Vitantonio Liuzzi.
Javier Villa, current driver for the Proteam BMW in the FIA WTCC championship, has reportedly been contacted by Thesan Capital, the new shareholder of the HRT team, to consider a debut in Grand Prix racing by the end of the season, with the aim of strengthening the Spanish identity of the team based in Murcia.
« My primary goal remains the WTCC, […] but yes, it’s absolutely true: there is a good possibility of starting with Hispania, » stated the Spaniard to Italiaracing.
According to the Italian site, before making his racing debut, the Spanish driver might start by participating in four or five Friday morning test sessions during the Grand Prix to get familiar with the car before competing in the last races of the 2011 season to prepare for 2012. « It’s a great opportunity, certainly unexpected. But for Javier, the WTCC goal is just as important and he doesn’t want to give it up. We will see how the situation evolves, » explains Jose Ramon Galan, a close associate of the driver.
Thus, if the Spaniard wishes to remain focused on the FIA WTCC championship, he could still participate in the tests in Belgium, Italy, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Abu Dhabi, and during the final event in Brazil, where he could make his big debut.
In all likelihood, this would be at the expense of Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, who currently does not bring a budget unlike his new teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, who is supported by Red Bull.
However, it is not the first time that the young Iberian has been in contact with the Spanish team for a seat. Indeed, at the beginning of 2010, Adrian Campos, still the owner of the team that then bore his name, mentioned the name of the driver from Asturias among the potential candidates for a main seat alongside Pedro de la Rosa, Marc Gene, and Roldan Rodriguez.
But Thesan Capital might not stop there in its effort to Hispanicize the HRT team since the name Carlos Sainz Jr, son of the rally legend, just 16 years old and a driver in the Red Bull program, is also on the cards in the more or less long term.
