Constructors’ Championship: 12th
Points: 0
Drivers:
Narain Karthikeyan
Points: 0
Best qualifying: 21st
Best race result: 15th
Pedro de la Rosa
Points: 0
Best qualifying: 21st
Best race result: 17th
Highlights:
- Only failing to qualify for one race.
- Pedro de la Rosa finishing his first home Grand Prix since 1999.
- Pedro’s 100th F1 race in Monza, although he was out-qualified by Karthikeyan for the first time.
The highlights say it all really. At the time of writing HRT was desperately looking for a new buyer, without which the name may be confined to the history books after three seasons in the sport.
Running at the back of a Formula 1 grid has never been easy, but when you think that the teams are still spending over £50 million per season you’ve got to ask why they don’t look at the WEC.
Many of HRT’s problems in 2012 (and the previous two years for that matter) were financial, and the numerous brake failures are a sure sign that the budget just wasn’t there. The top teams change their pads and discs for every session over a Grand Prix weekend. HRT, however, actually skimmed existing ones, which lead to a catastrophic disc-ombobulation for Karthikeyan in Korea.
When you consider that there was a one in four chance of not making the finish – the HRTs suffered 11 retirements between them, a possibility that you might not qualify – which neither of them did in Australia, and a two-hour race that would only be punctuated by faster cars lapping you, it’s a miracle that both drivers performed so well for so long.
Pedro had the edge in qualifying, and indeed in most of the races, but neither of them can be marked out as seriously underperforming. If anything underperformed it was the car. Which is exactly what lead to the scary crash for Karthikeyan in Abu Dhabi. The car decided to register zero hydraulic pressure, which locked his steering and left him as a slowing duck for Rosberg’s Mercedes-shaped missile.
If HRT had the budget of McLaren would it be at the front of the grid? Absolutely not. But if it had at least some budget it would have given Marussia a better run for its money. No pun intended.
Despite not understanding why teams like HRT compete in F1, I do wish every single one of its employees the best of luck in the future, wherever it may be.
It takes a really gifted team management to pull these teams out of that situation, the process being awfully complicated.
Many times they don’t have (or they don’t want to spend) the money to buy a badly needed spare part with the result of the car not finishing the race, the money loss being many times higher than the price of that piece. And the driver has risked his life for nothing.
Some teams have pulled successfully from there (Toleman), while others seem to be born to suffer, standing really tough seasons with no hopes at all. Just the passion for racing keep them going and that commands my higher respect.
Here is a real challenge for the Chinese. Buy Cosworth and HRT and try to come up the grid with a properly financed F1 team.
We all know it won’t be pretty but at least it would be interesting to see them develop something without bluntly copying from someone else.
Hate to see them go, if in fact they do. While we all concentrate on the front of the field, teams like HRT are probably more important. Virtually every successful team started out like these guys, and while the mortality rate is enormous, the survivors can go on to do great things.
When the day comes that there are no more HRT’s – motorsport is done.
I will chime in with the same sentiments as the others, so far: If HRT goes, I will miss them. They absolutely earned my respect. The comparison to Toleman is a good one, and worth remembering.
Question, has there ever been a season where every team achieved at least one point?
Maybe HRT went down on the same problems of Spyker, Jordan…too many ambitions too fast?
They moved into a new factory outside Madrid,at the start of the year, and already then I was wondering why do that when you dont have a solid basis and resources? Better focus on surviving first.
Hope they find a new owner though.
With the brake and hydraulic failures etc, I would award Narain and Pedro a joint World Bravest Drivers Championship.
Who is the union delegate for the drivers?
Neil: 2005 for starters. 2007 too if one ignores the fia’s ludicrous decision vis-s-vis McLaren.
2004 and 2002 were the only others.
Came close in ’73 too, but for Ensign.
I can’t say I gave them a second thought. I rarely get to watch GPs live so getting Sky didn’t appeal just as night races don’t as they’re broadcast live when I am unable to watch them.
Isn’t this fault of Mosley’s cost reduction plans to encourage new teams to F1 that were then curtailed? Weren’t they enticed to a cheaper, more accessible form of F1 for it only not to happen?
Regarding the new factory perhaps they got a good deal on it or some other incentive, but yes you’re right it may have been tinkering with the deckchairs while the boat goes down.
Was Pedro de la Rosa paying for his drive, or doing it for free? I hope he didn’t do too badly from it, he was quite entertaining when he got to race the McLaren, I think he overtook people without DRS.
If they had the cost reduction changes rug pulled from under them perhaps allowing them to run one car would’ve been a good compromise given they didn’t have the funds to routinely replace brake parts like other teams do?
It sounds like pocket change from a rights holder would have helped HRT a little, it’s not as though they’d have missed it just as it wouldn’t have hurt them to cover the cost of the criminal damage committed at Donington.
@Neil – in 2009, every team scored points. Toro Rosso was bottom of the table with 8 points.
Alastair,
Yes – I always feel slightly sorry for the three musketeers (HRT, Marussia and Caterham). They came into the sport under the promise that the cost-cutting measures would come in, and be severe. Mosley left, as did the promise of being able to (financially) compete on a level playing field.
EF
Thanks Ed,
I am eagerly awaiting the podcast and wondering if Ferrari’s possible protest against Vettel’s overtaking under yellow flags gets discussed. It’s OK if the podcast is available from tomorrow as it can make for enjoyable Friday evening listen and if I have the time I won’t be able to resist listening as soon as it appears.
It’s a shame the ‘three musketeers’ can’t be given some financial support given they were missold you’d think removing the belts and cleaning the brushbar on the CVC vacuum cleaner would recover enough funds to cover a season.
Sometimes the money side of F1 seems very iniquitous, with projected this, estimated the other. With regard to Mosley’s idea of Forensics Accountants watching every team and being regularly moved to stop them going native, I wonder if the whole system needs such financial analysis and consultation by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures to ensure the portions of the pie are fair.
I’m sorry the F1 newcomers were missold, but pleased Mosley has gone. I was firmly in the Ari Vatanen camp but it seems Todt has been his own man and not Mosley’s proxy.
Alastair,
“I am eagerly awaiting the podcast and wondering if Ferrari’s possible protest against Vettel’s overtaking under yellow flags gets discussed. It’s OK if the podcast is available from tomorrow as it can make for enjoyable Friday evening listen and if I have the time I won’t be able to resist listening as soon as it appears.”
Ummm… we recorded the podcast yesterday! It’s not a Ferrari protest – the FIA legally has to look into it. There will be a decision by tomorrow, which may or may not scupper our season review!
In other news, the podcast will be out on December 21. Sorry – it needs to go out with the next magazine!
EF
Im all for a more fair share of the pot. The TV-contract pot that is.
If Bernie alone pockets in excess of 100 million a year, im sure we can find a way to lighten the burden for the smaller teams, by, for instance, pay for their engines. I wonder when, if at all, the new concorde agreement gets to be made public.
A well. Seems a long time ago Bernie demanded a 48 million dollar bond for a new team to pay to him just to get into F1…
The comparison with Toleman is absurd – they walked the F2 championship, (when it was serious), with their own car then set out in F1 with one of the first turbocharged engines bringing a new tyre manufacturer in with them. HRT have done nothing daring or different and have no track record in racing….
I’m also not sure that here is much “putting their lives on the line” in F1 any more. I’m at more risk every time I get on my mountain bike!
Well, as of Nov 29th, HuRT is gone.
This team was comically bad, and frankly, as pointed out by Mr. Foster, dangerous on the grid.
No one says F1 needs 22 cars, and there have been a long list of unremarkable teams in F1 that just go away.
“We all know it won’t be pretty but at least it would be interesting to see them develop something without bluntly copying from someone else.”
–Are we talking about Ferrari and McLaren again?