Colin Kolles Leaves HRT

HRT have announced that their current Team Principal, Colin Kolles, is set to leave the team after they came to an agreement to end their partnership. Colin Kolles has headed the team since its debut in the sport in 2010 after a deal with Adrian Campos failed to materialize.

The team announced that their main reason for this move is because of the new direction the team is taking with moving their Headquarters to Spain, where beforehand they were based in Germany where they used a factory owned by Colin Kolles. 

The team released a statement saying, “HRT F1 Team would like to thank Dr. Colin Kolles for his work and dedication throughout these past two years and wish him the best in his future projects.”

It is undeniable that without the assistance of Colin Kolles, HRT would probably have not made it to Bahrain for the start of the 2010 season after the teams original plans with Adrian Campos fell through. 

With Pedro De La Rosa the only driver currently confirmed at HRT for the 2012 season, they are adamant they will design and build their own car for 2012 as well as have it ready in time for the pre-season test in February.

HRT To Extend Williams Partnership Into 2012

 

It was announced today that the HRT Formula 1 team have extended their deal with Williams which permits use of their gearbox and also a new addition of KERs for 2012. 

HRT are currently lying last in the Constructors’ Standings whereas Williams are only 5 points ahead of them and are currently struggling in their worst season in their history in F1. 

The extension of this deal will now permit HRT to use the KERs device, something which they haven’t had on their cars this season and which could well boost them into the right direction of gaining their first ever points in F1. 

Since their first race in last years Bahrain Grand Prix, HRT have struggled to make an impact on the F1 world and have since used 7 different drivers with a mix of rookies such as Bruno Senna, Karun Chandhok and Daniel Ricciardo and experienced drivers such as Christian Klien, Tonio Liuzzi and Narain Karthikeyan. Even using many different drivers in such a short time, their highest finish in a race has yet to better 14th, and that was in the 2010 Australian and Korean Grands Prix. 

HRT Team Principal, Colin Kolles, will be hoping that these new additions to next years car will have a positive effect on the team and push them towards higher finishes next season. 

Liuzzi To Step Aside For Karthikeyan In India

  

Italian Tonio Liuzzi will be the driver to step aside for Narain Karthikeyan at HRT for next weekends inaugural Indian Grand Prix for HRT, not rookie Daniel Ricciardo as expected.

The Indian driver, Karthikeyan, was promised a drive at his first ever home Grand Prix earlier in the year when he was replaced by Aussie rookie Daniel Ricciardo who is backed by World Champions Red Bull in their young driver program. However it was initially planned that Ricciardo would be the driver stepping aside, and Tonio Liuzzi would remain in his No.1 driver role. However recent events and poor results for the HRT team seem to have changed the mind of HRT boss Colin Kolles as he today announced that Liuzzi would be stepping aside and that Ricciardo would retain his role within the team, a role that he has undertaken with immense maturity during his short career. 

Tonio Liuzzi started his F1 career in 2005 with Red Bull in their inaugural season after taking over Jaguar as the teams Friday Test Driver, racing in only 4 races and finding success in his first ever race at the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix finishing 8th. After that he suffered two retirements at the 2005 Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix before finishing 9th in his final race for the team of the season at the European Grand Prix before returning to his Test Driver role.

In 2006 he signed a full race seat with fledgling team Toro Rosso after they bought what was the Minardi F1 team at the end of 2005 and it was a rocky season as he scored only 1 points finish in the 2006 American Grand Prix with 8th place. He stayed with the team in 2007 and had an even more unsuccessful season as he failed to finish 7 of the 17 races and finished only once in the points again, this time in the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix with 6th, his highest ever F1 finish to date. 

In 2008 he failed to find himself a full time F1 drive and had to settle for another Test Driver role, this time with the Force India team. The loyalty throughout 2008 rewarded him with a drive in the latter races of the 2009 season when Giancarlo Fisichella rushed off to replace the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari after Luca Badoer failed to impress and although he failed to finish in the points, he was kept with the team for the 2010 season alongside Adrian Sutil, and he had his most successful season in F1 with points at the Bahrain, Australian, Monaco, Canadian, Belgian and Korean Grands Prix. 

However after last seasons high, he was replaced by Scot Paul Di Resta and he had to settle for a drive with HRT, a team that had suffered in its first season in F1 in 2010. During the winter of 2010/11 it was even uncertain whether there was going to be funding to keep the team alive into the new season, however they made it and although they failed to Qualify for the Australian Grand Prix, they have battled on throughout this season.

It’s looking at Liuzzi’s current run of results and it’s no surprise that Colin Kolles has decided to replace him with Karthikeyan next weekend, and if Karthikeyan can perform well in front of his home crowd then maybe we could see him remain as Daniel Ricciardo’s team-mate.

Narain Karthikeyan might not be the only Indian driver on the grid come next weekend as Tony Fernandes has yet to decide whether Karun Chandhok will race for Team Lotus. If he replaces Jarno Trulli it will be the first time since the 1973 German Grand Prix that no Italian drivers have taken place in a Formula 1 race weekend whereas if his replaces Heikki Kovalainen it will be the first time since the 1990 Belgian Grand Prix that no Finnish driver has taken part in a Formula 1 race.

If Chandhok races or not, it will be interesting to see if Liuzzi gets his seat back from Karthikeyan, who will have the bit between his teeth to perform not only in front of a home crowd, but also against a new rising star of the future in Daniel Ricciardo.

Karthikeyan Confirmed For HRT Return

It has officially been confirmed that Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan will return to HRT for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix next month, and will also take part in the Friday Session at the Singapore Grand Prix next weekend.

Colin Kolles, Team Principal at HRT, has confirmed the deal, stating that although Ricciardo was never down to race at the Indian Grand Prix, commercial considerations had to be addressed. Basically the deal with Karthikeyan having sponsorship from Hero Motors and the whole spectacle and him being Indian made it a no brainer. Which is a shame, I believe, because Karthikeyan is a skilled driver and it would be fairer for him to be chosen because his skill factor, rather than money. The same is currently going on at Team Lotus, where Team Principal Tony Fernandes has spoken hopes of having Indian Reserve Driver, Karun Chandhok, race the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in place of Jarno Trulli. Again, I wish Chandhok was being chosen because of his driver skill rather than the spectacle of Indian drivers on the grid for the Indian Grand Prix. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for other nations, such as Malaysia, where Team Lotus only gave Fairuz Fauzy a Friday Practice drive and not a whole weekend drive during this years Malaysian Grand Prix.

However, there is no space for cynicism in todays sport, otherwise you’d end up going mad. I am all for Indian drivers and races in Formula 1, as they definitely have earned their place in the modern sport. However I just wish these drivers were picked for their skill, which of course they have otherwise they wouldn’t have got as far as they have in Motor Sport, rather than commercial reasons.

I wish both Karthikeyan and Chandhok success in their inaugural home race, and if the weather in inclement, just like last years inaugural South Korean Grand Prix, we could even see an Indian driver scoring points at the Indian Grand Prix and if that’s not a spectacle then show me what is!