HRT became the final team to reveal their 2011 car on Friday as they took the wraps off the F111 in the pit lane of Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya during this week’s final pre-season test. The Spanish team’s recently completed line-up - Narain Karthikeyan and Vitantonio Liuzzi - were both in attendance as the new machine was unveiled to the assembled media.
“I’m looking forward to driving the new car, it will definitely be better than last year’s but I still don’t know how much better," said Karthikeyan. "It will be a challenging season as we haven’t used the car so I expect Australia to be a tough start. Still, I am ready for the challenge and will give it my best. Tonio has a lot of knowledge from driving recently in F1, so this will surely be very positive for the team."
Former Force India driver Liuzzi was only confirmed as part of HRT's line-up earlier this week, but the Italian is equally excited about the season ahead.
“I’m looking forward to this 2011 season, I think it will be a very interesting year for us. It’s a new start for Hispania Racing and for myself, there’s a lot of work to do and we face a big challenge. There is a solid group of good mechanics and good engineers who I’m looking forward to working with to further develop the car. This will be an important year to set the right bases for the future.
“Driving a team to success is much like making a puzzle, you must try to build it in the best possible way in order to work in harmony and quickly to make up for lost time. I believe we have all the right ingredients needed to be successful."
The car’s design has been undertaken wholly in-house, with technical director Geoff Willis and chief designer Paul White heading up a team of over 40. It also features a striking new red and white livery, which was designed by world-renowned vehicle concept designer and visionary illustrator, Daniel Simon.
“Starting the programme to develop the F111 has been an enormous challenge,” said Willis. “The group of engineers working from many separate locations had to produce the 2011 HRT chassis to meet the new regulations, package the Williams LG14 transmission, design all new rear suspension to suit and develop a complete aero package.
"Given the tight time frame, I am very impressed with the result and the enormous efforts everyone has put in to achieve the objective. However we have to be realistic in our expectations of performance; this is very much a baseline car which the team must develop in 2011.”
Last season the team relied on a car that had been originally put together by Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara. But the two companies ended their collaboration early on and very little development work was carried out during the course of the season. Despite failing to score a single championship point, the team finished 11th in standings ahead of fellow 2010 newcomers Virgin.
“It’s been a tough winter but we’ve managed to have a new car in a very short time,” said HRT team principal Colin Kolles. “The new car is definitely better than last year’s one and I hope that we will make further progress this year. We will have a better package aerodynamically and mechanically than in 2010.
“The F111 represents a significant step forward for Hispania Racing. We have made a big improvement for our second season in Formula One and what you see in our new car confirms Hispania Racing´s commitment to F1.”
HRT president Jose Ramon Carabante added: “I’m very proud of the hard work done by the team. This car is born out of the work done by a large number of people who form this team, Hispania Racing, the first ever Spanish team in Formula One history.
"The design is innovative and futuristic, it catches your eye, but we mustn’t forget that it is also a step forwards in technical terms. I’m sure that the F111 will bring much joy to those who believe and always have believed in the growth of this team. I can’t wait for the season to begin, the second in our short yet intense history in Formula One.”
The F111 is expected on track on Saturday. Although the majority of teams will wrap up their programmes on Friday, HRT will be in action alongside Williams, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.
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