HRT with Van der Garde and Kolles in 2012?

Discreet in the transfer market, HRT is today the last team to have – officially at least – a seat available, despite the contract that Vitantonio Liuzzi is said to have. Nothing alarming, however, for the Spanish team, which, already in 2011, announced its line-up late and, as in the previous year, could entrust its seat to the highest bidding driver.

In this game, and according to the Spanish newspaper Marca, Giedo Van der Garde would be in pole position to support the experienced Pedro de la Rosa, the Dutch driver benefiting from the support of McGregor and billionaire Marcel Boekhoorn, his father-in-law. In an interview with De Telegraaf, the 26-year-old driver, 5th in the GP2 Series in 2011, expressed his optimism: « I’m waiting for good news and I’m very optimistic. In fact, I’m training very hard to be ready in case they call me. »

The native of Rhenen would be able, still according to Marca, to provide the 6 million euros requested by the Iberian team and could thus sideline Vitantonio Liuzzi. In a recent interview, the Italian, a regular driver in 2011, spoke about the debate surrounding the return of pay drivers, particularly due to the economic crisis: « I think that the crisis plays a role, but the fact is also that there are significant differences in competitiveness between the machines, and they easily hide the talent of certain drivers. […] F1 should bring together the best of motorsport, and there should be a natural selection, but I see that things are not like that. We say it’s because of the global crisis because the economic aspect can make the difference. »

In the meantime, Liuzzi remains committed, helping HRT with the development of its next car. However, some sources indicate that the Spanish team may once again face a significant delay, possibly preventing it from hitting the track before the Australian Grand Prix. Some rumors suggest a possible return of Colin Kolles, who was the team’s director until last December before being replaced by Luis Perez-Sala: « I haven’t heard anything like that. I know they’re working against the clock, both in Spain, Germany, and Great Britain,” says Vitantonio Liuzzi. « As for Colin, I consider him someone who did very well because with a budget that isn’t a typical F1 team’s, he managed to keep the team afloat. We managed to stay ahead of Virgin, and in the championship, we achieved the same results as Team Lotus [editor’s note: zero points] with half of their budget. It’s true that we don’t attract cameras and some wonder what we’re doing there, but there is a championship between the new teams, and in that, Kolles did a good job. »

However, Liuzzi remains optimistic about HRT’s chances for 2012: “If everything goes well, I’m not saying that we will be able to fight for points, but we will certainly make a big step forward on the grid, bringing us closer to Caterham and the other teams. Now, in Formula One, there are three types of teams: those that race for victory, those that aim to score points, and finally, those that struggle to stay in F1,” insists the Italian.