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CNR
29th March 2011, 03:27
http://www.thenational.ae/sport/formula-one/im-sorry-hispania-but-rules-are-rules
I'm sorry Hispania, but rules are rules

I felt bad about not allowing the Hispania Racing Team (HRT) to take part in Australia, but you cannot compete in Formula One on the cheap.

The bottom line is that Vitantonio Liuzzi and Narain Karthikeyan were just not fast enough.

I was the drivers' representative on the panel of stewards in Melbourne and we could not let them race. Their cars were too slow.

Their best time was two seconds off the pace of next slowest car, and Karthikeyan's quickest effort was more than 10 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel's pole position time in his Red Bull Racing car.

wattoroos
29th March 2011, 08:19
Personally i dont think they will make it through the year, because if they are unable to qualify for a couple more races i reckon they will just call it quits which would be no big loss

Sonic
29th March 2011, 09:08
I've voted yes to the Q in the poll - the 107 rule is there to protect the drivers against dangerously slow cars - so anyone who brings a legal car to the track should be allowed to try.

Garry Walker
29th March 2011, 11:36
Hopefully. F1 will be better off without such a loser team.

Mark
29th March 2011, 12:45
Perhaps they could be given a free pass for the next few races to go away and do some testing.

airshifter
29th March 2011, 12:49
I've voted yes to the Q in the poll - the 107 rule is there to protect the drivers against dangerously slow cars - so anyone who brings a legal car to the track should be allowed to try.

I agree.

They got very close to making the 107% rule after putting the cars on track for the very first time. That really is amazing considering the time the other teams spent on development after the initial testing sessions.

I actually think there should be some type of testing provision for any cars that don't qualify for a race. They need some way to test and develop so they can remain in the field. F1 could lose a lot of sponsors if it's too difficult to get into the races.

Nikki Katz
29th March 2011, 13:52
I don't think they're done yet, but unless there's a big change in Malaysia and they get at least one car in the race, I don't see them lasting far into the season.
It's a shame though, I still think it should be made easier for new teams to compete. Lotus have spent a lot in the preparation of their new car, but it's still not enough and the gap to the established teams is as large as ever.

Robinho
29th March 2011, 13:58
i voted "no" only to realise the poll is not the same qusetion as posed by the thread title.

sure they should be allowed to run if they meet all the rules. THey passed crash testing, they passed scrutineering but they failed 107%, so no race.

if and when they do meet all the criteria let them race. presence at testing is not a rule, but is of course desirable for every team.

As for "are they done", i say no, not yet, if they can get a couple of full sessions in at Malaysia and still fall well short of the bar, then maybe that wil be a different story. Too early to write them off completely yet. of course they'll still be the slowest out there, but someone has to be.

Bagwan
29th March 2011, 14:02
Time to sell .

Mark
29th March 2011, 16:08
I think the question is only important if there are teams out there wanting to take Hispania's place, currently it doesn't seem that there is, so there's no harm in letting them attempt to qualify if they wish.

SGWilko
29th March 2011, 17:25
I agree.

They got very close to making the 107% rule after putting the cars on track for the very first time. That really is amazing considering the time the other teams spent on development after the initial testing sessions.

I actually think there should be some type of testing provision for any cars that don't qualify for a race. They need some way to test and develop so they can remain in the field. F1 could lose a lot of sponsors if it's too difficult to get into the races.

Look, they had the same opportunity like every other F1 team and their dogs to test at the official test sessions, designated for testing, when the speed and reliability of the cars are tested.

If they miss it - it aint no-ones fault but theirs.

Mark
29th March 2011, 18:51
It's a good point. If you fail to qualify you get a GP distance worth of testing.

steveaki13
29th March 2011, 18:56
A few points from my point of view.

1. I honestly think Hispania will struggle to last the season unless they are bought out but only time will tell.

2. I assume the car was legal to run as the stewards and officials allowed them onto the track and therefore if they had got inside 107% even with no laps they are ok to race.

3. I think given a full weekend of running in Malaysia I think Hispania will be just inside the 107% rule certainly with Liuzzi. Karthikeyan might struggle more and be replaced.

And finally some people saying they are a waste of space, I always think about Minardi. A team that for the last 15 years of it existance on the whole was adrift of the pack and 4,5 or 6 seconds off the pace, and yet because they had been around a while people grew to love them, and support them.

They offered no real benefit to the sharp end of F1 for a lot of years, but there endless battling against the odds and occasional great result. Gene and Badoer in Europe 99, Mazzacane US 2000, Alonso's great drives, Webber in Oz 2002, Baumgartner USA 2004. Albers Quali lap 2005 Canada.
Mean't most people loved them.

Not saying HRT is as good as Minardi they are not, and will never be loved like Minardi but if they get there car under 107% then they race.

Anubis
29th March 2011, 21:02
Worth remembering they weren't ready for what was technically the SECOND race of the season, let alone the first. I don't like seeing teams fold, but it is starting to look more Andrea Moda basket case than Minardi plucky underdog unfortunately.

VkmSpouge
29th March 2011, 21:55
Liuzzi and Karthikeyan completed 11 laps each in Q1, I just get the feeling they were treating it as a twenty minute test session than a proper qualifying attempt (for their sake I hope so!). Hopefully Hispania will get in some actual practice at Sepang, so some improvement should be forthcoming but I'm not sure if that will be enough to get them under 107%.

Jag_Warrior
29th March 2011, 21:57
Should a team be allowed to run a car that has no testing during the winter?

Yes.


Should a car that cannot pass the 107% rule during qualifying be allowed to race?

No.

BDunnell
29th March 2011, 22:00
Should a car that cannot pass the 107% rule during qualifying be allowed to race?

No.

Well, not at that meeting, anyway. I take it this is what you mean?

Sonic
29th March 2011, 22:26
Worth remembering they weren't ready for what was technically the SECOND race of the season, let alone the first. I don't like seeing teams fold, but it is starting to look more Andrea Moda basket case than Minardi plucky underdog unfortunately.

Now that's an excellent point I had overlooked.

Nikki Katz
29th March 2011, 23:20
I don't see how Karthikeyan can be replaced - Tata is the team's only obvious sponsor. Having said that, assuming that Liuzzi starts qualifying the car and Karthikeyan doesn't, I'm not certain that Tata will really be that pleased with their driver not being present on the grid.

I hope that they'll make it, but have been seriously skeptical since the loss of the Toyota partnership.

jonny hurlock
30th March 2011, 00:50
to be honest, the problem isn't the drivers or mechanics, the problem is the likes of Kolles and Carabante, ain't doing their jobs right, to be fair with HRT they ain't a Minardi, they got better in there second season not worst more like a Forte imho

airshifter
30th March 2011, 02:21
Sure they have an opportunity, and it's nobody elses fault if they miss it.

But the costs to try to bring in a new F1 team are already high, and if sponsors see new teams failing on a regular basis it will become harder and harder to attract new teams to the sport.

I really think they should have some provision to allow some additional testing for new teams that do not make the 107% rule. It could be a limited number of times, and limited testing. It just seems to me that it's a huge waste to create a system where someone just outside the door has no way to develop and try to get in, while the cars on track are collecting real data and widening the gap every race.

For all we know HRT or the next team trying to replace them if they fail could be the next Lotus, Williams, Ferrari, or McLaren.

Malbec
30th March 2011, 03:14
to be honest, the problem isn't the drivers or mechanics, the problem is the likes of Kolles and Carabante, ain't doing their jobs right,

Kolles is doing a fantastic job. Without him the team wouldn't have made it to Bahrain 2010 and certainly not to 2011. He provides just about everything the team needs to run.

The problem is Carabantes. I understand that he is a reluctant owner but he's under the mistaken impression that all you need to do with an F1 team is to buy it. He is unwilling to come to terms with the fact that you have to keep investing money to have any chance of survival let alone success.

Thankfully HRT have TATA sponsorship and good TV revenue money from beating Virgin last season. They are financially able to survive this year but their long term future depends on landing new sponsors or Carabante waking up and realising what he has to do if he isn't going to lose the team and all his investment.

CNR
30th March 2011, 08:11
the funny or sad part about this is if they had of used the old cars
http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=131438
2010 Australia: Formula One Qualifying Results


Bruno Senna 1:30.526
Karun Chandhok 1:30.613


the cut off was target of lapping the Albert Park street circuit in 1min 31.266sec.

Garry Walker
30th March 2011, 09:53
And finally some people saying they are a waste of space, I always think about Minardi. A team that for the last 15 years of it existance on the whole was adrift of the pack and 4,5 or 6 seconds off the pace, and yet because they had been around a while people grew to love them, and support them.

They offered no real benefit to the sharp end of F1 for a lot of years, but there endless battling against the odds and occasional great result. Gene and Badoer in Europe 99, Mazzacane US 2000, Alonso's great drives, Webber in Oz 2002, Baumgartner USA 2004. Albers Quali lap 2005 Canada.
Mean't most people loved them. I can quite honestly say that Minardi held no meaning to me and when so many were so desperate to see them on grid, I couldnt care less. Incompetence should not be hailed or praised. I was always hoping they would leave F1 and some far more competent team would take over.


I agree.

They got very close to making the 107% rule after putting the cars on track for the very first time. That really is amazing considering the time the other teams spent on development after the initial testing sessions.

F1 could lose a lot of sponsors if it's too difficult to get into the races.
I am not sure why F1 would lose sponsors if teams such as Lotus and HRT left F1? No one cares about them.

If I am not mistaken, HRT would have needed to be 2 seconds quicker to qualify.

F1boat
30th March 2011, 10:34
I think that they had to find money and test and that's why the decision of the stewards was correct. It is pointless to be a movable chicane - you are not really "racing" with other people.

airshifter
30th March 2011, 12:21
I am not sure why F1 would lose sponsors if teams such as Lotus and HRT left F1? No one cares about them.



No one cares much about Lotus and HRT now. What happens if other teams pull out of F1 and nobody is willing to take a chance to field new teams to fill the grid? It's not as if all teams stay in F1 and nobody ever leaves.

Bezza
30th March 2011, 12:58
Karthikeyan is a very poor driver, and he will struggle all year to make the 107% rule. I would much more have preferred them to keep Chandhok.

Liuzzi was squeeze into a race further down the line, where the track conditions are more equal? Or in the wet?

But on the whole I can't see them lasting much longer in F1.

Bagwan
30th March 2011, 13:03
Time to sell .

I know of a guy who wants in .

Dave B
30th March 2011, 13:33
It was the right decision not to let them race, regrettably. They were so painfully slow, and neither driver seemed particularly aware of their surroundings. It would have been farcical.

I honestly don't have any sympathy for them. It's not like last season when the finances only came together at the last minute - they had a whole year to prepare and even with the two week "bonus" of Bahrain being cancelled they still couldn't cobble together a car until the day of first practice. Unexcusable.

I reckon they knew they wouldn't stand a chance, but if they skipped Australia they could have been DQd from the whole season so it was cheaper to turn up and do a lap then limp home.

Rollo
30th March 2011, 13:40
I find this most encouraging:

Thankfully HRT have TATA sponsorship and good TV revenue money from beating Virgin last season. They are financially able to survive this year but their long term future depends on landing new sponsors or Carabante waking up and realising what he has to do if he isn't going to lose the team and all his investment.

Particularly the fact that they have Tata sponsorship. I would assume that if Tata want to make a name for themselves on the world stage, then they pretty well much have an easy buy in don't they. Tata has interests in steel, chemical processing, a power company... they're pretty huge. In fact if Tata bought the team, they they could cover the whole car in Tata logos for the various component parts of the group and not leave any space for anyone else.

RS
30th March 2011, 15:13
They (Minardi) offered no real benefit to the sharp end of F1 for a lot of years

Alonso, Webber, Fisichella, Trulli.....

Minardi at least hired some talented drivers who would develop into future race winners, I would call that a benefit to the sharp end of F1. HRT just seem to take whoever will pay.

SGWilko
30th March 2011, 15:18
HRT are so rubbish, they are abusing the rubbish privilege...... ;)

I am evil Homer
30th March 2011, 16:08
Everyone likes plucky underdogs....hence why Minardi got support from some sections. HRT however are just rubbish.

Bagwan
30th March 2011, 16:10
Sell it before Spain , so you don't have to go home .

There's this French Canadian guy who talked to you before about selling .
Maybe you could find a number that suits you both now .

The closer we get to Spain , the less that number is likely to be .
And , you've only had to go to one race and be embarassed .

We all have figured out that it was only an exhibition , meant to save you from the sanctions of not turning up entirely .
Last year's front wing , eh ?
Will it , at least , be finished for the next race , race three of the season ?

For dog sake , sell the damn thing , and put us all out of our misery .

woody2goody
30th March 2011, 16:15
I think they'll be alright from the next race onwards. That car must be faster than the old one, especially with the Williams rear-end on it.

As a team, they seem quite capable of making good progress - they developed last year's car quite well even with no upgrades. Karthikeyan even managed to get the old car within 1.5 seconds of the fastest time on one of the test days.

I cannot get over the fact that they had all this time to prepare a car for this year and yet they didn't even attempt to do any practice. Even if you get one car up and running, then at least you can get some mileage under your belt and some knowledge for qualifying. Forcing the drivers to go out for the first time in qualifying when other cars are going for a fast lap is poor. Liuzzi and Karthikeyan had no chance. And I believe they're both good enough for F1. Not great drivers, but good enough to be on the grid.

And Garry, How were Minardi incompetent? They had about a quarter of the money of some of the other teams and yet they could compete within 3 or 4 seconds of Ferrari at their peak. Even in their last season in F1 they were faster than Jordan for most of it. They did a damn good job with what they had.

Just look at Toro Rosso - that is the same team, just with more money, and they have won a Grand Prix with Vettel in 2008. You wouldn't say they were a disgrace now would you?

jens
30th March 2011, 17:40
The existence of HRT may rely on Tata's interest in keeping Narain and HRT afloat at least until the Indian GP.

As for struggling to make 107% for the rest of the season, I'm a bit more positive. It has to be said that this car must have a lot of untapped potential. Basically it hasn't been tested at all. Even from finding good setups they could gain up to as much as a couple of seconds. So they could even threaten Virgin in the future. Now if only they actually made it out of the garage on Friday practices to get some proper running...


Karthikeyan is a very poor driver, and he will struggle all year to make the 107% rule. I would much more have preferred them to keep Chandhok.


I'm not so sure about that. In 2005 Karthikeyan had some impressive qualifying performances, one of them being 2 secs faster than Monteiro in wet Melbourne GP qualifying and it was visible seen, how he was taking the machinery to the limit. Besides that Narain has finished in Top3 in an F1 feeder series (World Series by Nissan it was at that time), Chandhok hasn't even got close to something similar.

Stuartf12007
30th March 2011, 20:12
kick em out

RS
30th March 2011, 20:16
Anyone hear anything further on why HRT turned up in Melbourne with only one half built car and another in bits? It's pretty clear now they were just bluffing at the final Barcelona test if the car still wasn't ready for Melborune FP1 two weeks later.

Garry Walker
30th March 2011, 21:28
No one cares much about Lotus and HRT now. What happens if other teams pull out of F1 and nobody is willing to take a chance to field new teams to fill the grid? It's not as if all teams stay in F1 and nobody ever leaves. Well, Id rather prefer F1 with less teams, but when they are of high quality than many teams and many of them incompetent like HRT.




And Garry, How were Minardi incompetent? They had about a quarter of the money of some of the other teams and yet they could compete within 3 or 4 seconds of Ferrari at their peak. Even in their last season in F1 they were faster than Jordan for most of it. They did a damn good job with what they had.

Just look at Toro Rosso - that is the same team, just with more money, and they have won a Grand Prix with Vettel in 2008. You wouldn't say they were a disgrace now would you?Why did they have a quarter of the money big teams did? Because they were incompetent and could not secure the needed finances. The engineers there (I remember Gustav Brunner working there for a while), I am sure, did a good job with the money given, but the leadership failed. Therefor, it is quite accurate to say the team was incompetent.

Rollo
30th March 2011, 23:25
Stewart GP had an abysmal first season; only managed to to score 8 finishes from 34 starts in their first season.

I wonder what became of Stewart GP... you know what, it can't have been of much consequence at all. :D

BDunnell
30th March 2011, 23:40
Why did they have a quarter of the money big teams did? Because they were incompetent and could not secure the needed finances. The engineers there (I remember Gustav Brunner working there for a while), I am sure, did a good job with the money given, but the leadership failed. Therefor, it is quite accurate to say the team was incompetent.

No, it is your opinion that they were incompetent. There are others.

And does the fact of me having a quarter of the income of someone earning four times as much as me make me incompetent?

truefan72
31st March 2011, 12:59
you know I can't quite put my finger, but there is something about that HRT car that I like and feel will be more than competitive in a very short time. If they cans sort out their finances ( or bring in a new owner) I boldly predict that that particular car will be better than Virgin and nipping at the heals of Lotus by mid season, and actually fairly competitive by the end of the season. You heard it here first !

Bagwan
31st March 2011, 15:22
Sell the damn thing .

I wonder if there's any point in trying to keep the initials for continuity .

Heavy Racing Team sounds too slow .
Hip Racing Team sounds too beat .
Hearty Racing Team sounds to fat .

OK , it's gotta be Heluva Racing Team , or they change the name entirely .

They've got to get rid of the name Hispania before Spain , or be lynched on arrival .

Dave B
31st March 2011, 15:33
Sell the damn thing .

I wonder if there's any point in trying to keep the initials for continuity .

Heavy Racing Team sounds too slow .
Hip Racing Team sounds too beat .
Hearty Racing Team sounds to fat .

OK , it's gotta be Heluva Racing Team , or they change the name entirely .

They've got to get rid of the name Hispania before Spain , or be lynched on arrival .

So if you have your way and Jacques buys it, they could call it Hasbeen Racing Team :p

Bagwan
31st March 2011, 15:44
So if you have your way and Jacques buys it, they could call it Hasbeen Racing Team :p

Hee hee . Good one , Davy . You're on it today .

You know I wouldn't care if they called it the Holycrap Racing Team , if Jacques was involved , though .

Garry Walker
31st March 2011, 22:46
No, it is your opinion that they were incompetent. There are others.

And does the fact of me having a quarter of the income of someone earning four times as much as me make me incompetent?

Firstly, if you earn a quarter of someones income, you dont have to specify that the other person earns 4 times as much as you do.


When you are dealing in such a highly competetive field as F1, then yes, it does make you incompetent. Hell, if you work for a company and other people are bringing in 4 times as much money for the Company, yet doing the same job, do you think you will be there for a long time? Of course not, you just cant cut it. And you will get dumped. For a good reason too.


you know I can't quite put my finger, but there is something about that HRT car that I like and feel will be more than competitive in a very short time. If they cans sort out their finances ( or bring in a new owner) I boldly predict that that particular car will be better than Virgin and nipping at the heals of Lotus by mid season, and actually fairly competitive by the end of the season. You heard it here first !

HRT, if they qualify for even one race this year, will never beat even the slowest of the other teams (unless some extraordinary events happen to cause it, like an engine failure for someone).

Malbec
1st April 2011, 14:21
HRT, if they qualify for even one race this year, will never beat even the slowest of the other teams (unless some extraordinary events happen to cause it, like an engine failure for someone).

Given that the HRT was a couple of seconds off 107% after what were really shakedown laps, its fair to say that the cars would be quicker given a few practice sessions merely through setting them up properly, quick enough to qualify.

I think the HRTs will be troubling Virgin this season unless the latter pull their fingers out and get their house in order. Of all the new teams I find Virgin the most disappointing. They have the funding and resources but are going nowhere.

AndyL
1st April 2011, 15:13
I think the HRTs will be troubling Virgin this season unless the latter pull their fingers out and get their house in order. Of all the new teams I find Virgin the most disappointing. They have the funding and resources but are going nowhere.

The "no wind tunnel" idea may not be working out as well as they hoped.

DexDexter
1st April 2011, 16:43
HRT are so rubbish, they are abusing the rubbish privilege...... ;)

They were way too close to Virgin and even Lotus in what was basically a shakedown of the car, that's not rubbish.

truefan72
2nd April 2011, 07:03
They were way too close to Virgin and even Lotus in what was basically a shakedown of the car, that's not rubbish.

that is what I'm saying.
If Ferrari or Mclaren, RBR or reanualt were running shakedown laps in Melbourne. I doubt they would make it out of Q1
...well Hamilton would wrestle the car to Q2, maybe

To me HRT seem to have more potential than Virgin and once they get going, they will be right there.

woody2goody
8th April 2011, 10:58
Given that the HRT was a couple of seconds off 107% after what were really shakedown laps, its fair to say that the cars would be quicker given a few practice sessions merely through setting them up properly, quick enough to qualify.

I think the HRTs will be troubling Virgin this season unless the latter pull their fingers out and get their house in order. Of all the new teams I find Virgin the most disappointing. They have the funding and resources but are going nowhere.

I'm actually amazed Virgin are so slow. I thought they'd doubled their computing power - plus last year's car wasn't bad for a first attempt. I expected them to be floating around near the midfield.

DazzlaF1
8th April 2011, 23:10
I had a feeling that HRT car would become useful at some point, the first day of proper running with their new front wing and Karthikeyan dipped below the 107% bracket, once Liuzzi gets properly underway, I wont be suprised if both Hispania's made the grid

And I think you're being a little mean on Virgin at the moment, Glock was the quicker of those 6 plus didnt Virgin say that the car has a lot more room for development with the first major upgrade coming for the beginning of the European season? I wont judge them until then.

As for Lotus, well that T128 has some potential, I have a feeling that when they get their first car upgrade, they could overtake Buemi, Alguersuari and possibly get on the coat-tails of the so far disappointing Force India's. They just need to iron out those unreliability problems

steveaki13
8th April 2011, 23:52
Roughly if the fastest time in Q1, was around 1:37.000 then 107% is about 6.80.

So a realistic target for all of the back markers.

F1boat
9th April 2011, 11:16
they survived today, if I am not mistaken. Good job.

Mia 01
9th April 2011, 13:04
They did.

I like.

jens
9th April 2011, 14:46
Yes, as expected, HRT should have a fair few seconds in the pocket if only they can actually do some setup work and put the 2011 package together. Next steps will be harder, but they could match Virgin soon unless the Wirth team finds some good solutions for significant improvements.

Garry Walker
9th April 2011, 15:08
I am naturally very dissapointed that HTR made it to the race.

BDunnell
9th April 2011, 21:11
I am naturally very dissapointed that HTR made it to the race.

Why? They were fast enough within the rules; therefore, they, or anybody else in that situation, should be allowed to race. I don't see what's hard to grasp about that, whether or not one thinks that the three new teams are worthwhile additions to the grid.

Garry Walker
10th April 2011, 14:55
Why? They were fast enough within the rules; therefore, they, or anybody else in that situation, should be allowed to race. I don't see what's hard to grasp about that, whether or not one thinks that the three new teams are worthwhile additions to the grid.
Reading comprehension, do you know what that is?
Nowhere did I state that they should not be allowed to race, I am just dissapointed that they made it to the race. Not that hard to understand.
I would rather prefer HTR and Virgin off the grid and replaced by a more competent team, as it is now, they add nothing.

52Paddy
10th April 2011, 17:55
I would rather prefer HTR and Virgin off the grid and replaced by a more competent team, as it is now, they add nothing.

Ideally, competitive teams throughout is what we want. But I still think HRT and Virgin add their own variables to the racing so hope they stay for as long as they financially can.

BDunnell
12th April 2011, 00:13
Reading comprehension, do you know what that is?
Nowhere did I state that they should not be allowed to race, I am just dissapointed that they made it to the race. Not that hard to understand.
I would rather prefer HTR and Virgin off the grid and replaced by a more competent team, as it is now, they add nothing.

Er... all I did was disagree with your opinion. I don't disagree with their adding nothing. But I think your view is unnecessarily aggressive in its expression.

RS
13th April 2011, 20:56
I would rather prefer HTR and Virgin off the grid and replaced by a more competent team, as it is now, they add nothing.

It's not that simple though is it? There is nobody ready to take their place, the FIA refused to accept a 13th team in for this year on those grounds.

Even though Virgin have been a little disappointing so far this year I still find their performance not bad considering they are not "cheating" like the other two by buying the back end of someone else's car.

DexDexter
14th April 2011, 10:08
It's not that simple though is it? There is nobody ready to take their place, the FIA refused to accept a 13th team in for this year on those grounds.

Even though Virgin have been a little disappointing so far this year I still find their performance not bad considering they are not "cheating" like the other two by buying the back end of someone else's car.

NO, they're not cheating, they're using a bulk gearbox instead. With that, you're never going to be succesful.

Garry Walker
14th April 2011, 21:57
Er... all I did was disagree with your opinion. I don't disagree with their adding nothing. But I think your view is unnecessarily aggressive in its expression.Okay, then I might have misunderstood you.
As for being agressive, I dont think I was being that at all.


It's not that simple though is it? There is nobody ready to take their place, the FIA refused to accept a 13th team in for this year on those grounds.

Then banish them from F1 for showing utter incompetence.

CNR
14th April 2011, 23:57
2 was to fix this
1 kit cars (not customer cars) buy parts from other teams with a 33% limit from one team
Ferrari tub red bull front and rear wing renault engine williams gearbox

2 teams running a 3rd car (young drivers and one off drivers)
if a driver wins a gp2 race reward him with a one off 3rd car drive at the next f1 race weekend

Dave B
15th April 2011, 11:14
Credit where it's due: both Hispanias faster than the Virgins in FP2 despite Liuzzi only getting in one flying lap.

Big Ben
15th April 2011, 14:36
Nothing new there... they've already beat them last year... now they're after the slower lotus' :p :

DazzlaF1
15th April 2011, 17:41
Nothing new there... they've already beat them last year... now they're after the slower lotus' :p :

Don't think that will happen TBH, the TL's look like they'll break into the midfield come Spain.

If HRT managed to stay ahead of Virgin then that for them should represent success.

Sonic
15th April 2011, 18:10
To be fair, Virgin were always faster last season, but finished behind on count back results. HRT now appear to be ahead on pace - it's a bit step for them.

DexDexter
15th April 2011, 19:07
To be fair, Virgin were always faster last season, but finished behind on count back results. HRT now appear to be ahead on pace - it's a bit step for them.

It's pretty evident that Virgin needs to get the car into a wind tunnel as soon as possible. I mean, a hastily built HRT is quicker than Virgin in its second race with zero testing.

Sonic
15th April 2011, 19:24
Yeah, its a pretty poor show by Virgin. It's a shame really - I hoped they'd succeed - but their performance (or lack thereof) is very disappointing.

Anubis
15th April 2011, 19:43
2 was to fix this
1 kit cars (not customer cars) buy parts from other teams with a 33% limit from one team
Ferrari tub red bull front and rear wing renault engine williams gearbox

2 teams running a 3rd car (young drivers and one off drivers)
if a driver wins a gp2 race reward him with a one off 3rd car drive at the next f1 race weekend

The one thing I love about Indycar that I wish F1 would allow is the one-off or part season drives. I know many will argue it would dilute the F1 brand, but I think it would add a great deal of extra spice. Sure there are logistical and brand reasons why it would never happen, but it would be fun.