Australian GP: Hispania Wants to Finish the Race!

While the Campos-Meta team had secured its entry into F1 for the 2010 season, it took the arrival of Spanish businessman José Ramon Carabante to secure the project. The team thus changed its name to Hispania Racing Team (HRT), with technical direction entrusted to Colin Kolles (former director at Jordan, Midland, and Force India). On the driver side, while Bruno Senna was already contractually tied to Campos, the young Indian driver Karun Chandhok was chosen, late in the process, to complete the lineup.

HRT arrives in Bahrain with an untested car. Both drivers retire from the race after qualifying in the last two spots on the grid. It is with enthusiasm that the Hispania team announces its goal for Melbourne: To have a car finish the Grand Prix!

Karun Chandhok – Racing Driver:

I am really looking forward to this second F1 race this weekend. I have never driven in Melbourne, but I will learn very quickly. I was able to work on a team’s simulator before the Grand Prix which will help me get a little familiar! Our next step with the engineers is to make the car reliable for the race. The secret to good race preparation is to complete as many laps as possible on Friday to see where we stand with the car. Finishing the race would be a fantastic achievement, and we will strive to reach that goal.

Bruno Senna – Racing Driver

« We need to continue building on what we achieved in Bahrain. We put two cars on track and successfully raced in Bahrain. Now, we need to keep working as a team. I came early to Australia to acclimate. I already drove on the Melbourne track in 2006. At that time, I participated in an F3 race supported by F1. Now, I have to work with the team to keep learning about the car. I enjoyed working long hours with the team, and I will give my utmost because I really want to progress and ensure good results for them. »

Colin Kolles – Team Principal:

We have worked tirelessly since the season opened in Bahrain… We have put in long hours and worked positively with Bridgestone, Cosworth, and Xtrac, learning from our initial laps with the car. We have found a good foundation from which we can prepare for our second Grand Prix in Australia in a few days. Our goal is to improve steadily. The next step is to aim for our first full race. I am confident we will reach this goal very soon. After seeing how we all came together as a team in Bahrain, I know our potential is great, and our commitment is unwavering.