HRT really likes sushi

Karun Chandhok, the Indian driver from the HRT team, will not participate in the German Grand Prix next weekend. An official statement from the team confirmed the news on Friday, stating that it would be Sakon Yamamoto who would take his place in the car.

The Japanese driver had already replaced Bruno Senna for unclear reasons in the previous race at Silverstone. He finished in 20th position.

This game of musical chairs therefore implies that the Brazilian will be back on track next week at Hockenheim.

Hispania specifies that the Indian driver is still part of the team and that it is “probable” he will be back in the car later in the season: « Sakon Yamamoto delivered a very positive performance at Silverstone, so the team has decided to give him another chance to drive the car, this time alongside Bruno Senna.»

The statement is still reassuring about the future of the former GP2 driver at Ocean Racing Technology: Karun Chandhok is still part of the Hispania Racing Team F1 HRT family, he may be in the car in a few races later this season.

Karun Chandhok himself acknowledges that he does not exactly know how the rest of this season will unfold, but he remains optimistic, hoping that his absence will be brief. The young Indian points out that, for now, there is no plan set by the Team beyond the Hockenheim GP, but he wants to believe that his season is not over: “It is not defined for the rest of the season, and I expect to be back in the car for a few races, probably not all, but I am really looking forward to being back in the car and racing again.”

It is important to clarify that Team HRT announced that Bruno Senna was confirmed to drive the other car until the end of the season.

It is highly likely that these mid-season changes are the result of some hesitation, where the issue of funding outweighs that of performance. At HRT, there are four drivers to consider, with three bringing a budget: Senna, Chandhok, and Yamamoto. The fourth, Christian Klien, cannot rely on generous sponsors, which explains the decision of the small Spanish team, as Klien is, on paper, the most experienced driver. We can therefore conclude that the replacement of Chandhok is certainly linked to a liquidity issue on the Indian side. Yamamoto must surely offer solid guarantees, allowing him to secure this “paying” seat.