HRT Formula 1 Team facts for kids
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| Full name | HRT Formula 1 Team (2011–2012) Hispania Racing F1 Team (2010–2011) Campos Meta 1 (2009) |
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| Base | Madrid, Spain |
| Founder(s) | Adrián Campos José Ramón Carabante |
| Noted staff | Colin Kolles Geoff Willis Luis Pérez-Sala Daniele Audetto Toni Cuquerella |
| Noted drivers |  Karun Chandhok Christian Klien Bruno Senna Narain Karthikeyan Daniel Ricciardo Vitantonio Liuzzi Pedro de la Rosa Sakon Yamamoto |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 58 (56 starts) |
| Engines | Cosworth |
| Constructors' Championships |
0 |
| Drivers' Championships |
0 |
| Race victories | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix |
The HRT Formula 1 Team was a Spanish Formula One racing team. It was also known as Campos Meta 1 and Hispania Racing. A former racing driver named Adrián Campos started the team. HRT was special because it was the first Spanish team to ever race in Formula One.
Before their first race in 2010, the team was sold to José Ramón Carabante. Later, in 2011, an investment group called Thesan Capital bought it. Sadly, in November 2012, HRT's owners tried to sell the team again. But they couldn't find a buyer in time. Because of this, the team was not allowed to join the 2013 Formula One season. This meant the HRT team had to close down.
Contents
Team History: How HRT Started
Building a Dream: The Team's Beginning
The HRT team began as a partnership between Adrián Campos and Enrique Rodríguez. Their first name for the team was Campos Meta. Adrián Campos already ran a successful racing team called Campos Racing. Enrique Rodríguez worked for Meta Image, a sports company in Madrid.
They started thinking about creating Spain's first Formula One team in early 2009. Soon, other people joined in, like businessman José Ramón Carabante. Even famous basketball players Pau Gasol and Jorge Garbajosa became shareholders.
The team's main office was in Madrid. Its technical center, where they worked on the cars, was in Alzira, Valencia. They even planned to build new facilities in Murcia. For their first season in 2010, an Italian company called Dallara built their cars. These cars used Cosworth engines.
On June 12, 2009, the FIA (the main racing organization) announced that Campos Meta was one of three new teams allowed to join the 2010 season. Before their first race, they announced that Bruno Senna would be one of their drivers. Bruno Senna is the nephew of the legendary Formula One champion Ayrton Senna.
Facing Challenges: Money Troubles and New Names
Even before their first race, the team faced money problems. In early 2010, there were worries if they would even make it to the starting grid. José Ramón Carabante, who was already a major shareholder, took full control of the team. He replaced Adrián Campos as the team boss.
The team was then renamed Hispania Racing F1 Team, or HRT for short. This new name came from one of Carabante's companies, Grupo Hispania. The team's main office also moved to Murcia. On March 4, Karun Chandhok was confirmed as their second driver. On the same day, they showed off their first car, called the F110.
HRT's Racing Seasons
2010 Season: A Tough Start
The HRT team didn't get to test their new F110 car before the season started. This made their first race, the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, very challenging. Bruno Senna managed to complete a few laps, but Karun Chandhok's car had problems and couldn't even start. In qualifying, both drivers were at the very back of the grid.
In the race, Chandhok crashed out early, and Senna's engine overheated. It was a difficult debut. However, at the next race in Australia, Chandhok finished 14th. This was the team's first car to complete a race!
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HRT managed to get both cars to finish races in Malaysia and China. This was a big step for the new team. Later in the season, other drivers like Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Klien also drove for the team.
One big challenge for the team was that their car didn't get any upgrades all season. This made it hard to compete with other teams. HRT finished 11th in the Constructors' Championship in 2010, but they didn't score any points.
2011 Season: New Drivers and New Owners
After the 2010 season, HRT stopped working with Dallara. They looked for new partners to help build their 2011 car. There were rumors about using Ferrari engines or working with Toyota.
For the 2011 season, Narain Karthikeyan and Vitantonio Liuzzi joined the team as drivers. Their new car, the Hispania F111, first appeared at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix. Both drivers struggled to meet the 107% rule in qualifying, which meant their lap times were too slow to start the race.
However, in Malaysia, they improved and were able to start the race. They finished both cars in China. At the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, they had their best result, with Liuzzi finishing 13th and Karthikeyan 14th (though Karthikeyan later got a penalty). This briefly put them ahead of Virgin in the Constructors' Championship.
In July 2011, a company called Thesan Capital bought most of the team. They wanted to make the team "more Spanish" and keep it based in Spain. For some races, Daniel Ricciardo (who is now a very famous F1 driver!) replaced Karthikeyan. HRT finished 11th in the Constructors' Championship again in 2011, still without scoring any points.
2012 Season: The Final Chapter
For the 2012 season, HRT signed Spanish driver Pedro de la Rosa on a two-year contract. Narain Karthikeyan also returned to the team. The team's boss, Colin Kolles, left and was replaced by Luis Pérez-Sala.
Their new car, the HRT F112, had trouble passing crash tests. This meant it was delayed and couldn't run in pre-season testing. At the first race in Australia, both de la Rosa and Karthikeyan were too slow in qualifying and were not allowed to start the race.
HRT continued to struggle throughout the 2012 season. They still didn't score any points. In November 2012, the team's owners announced they were trying to sell the team.
Team Closure: The End of HRT
The HRT team needed to find a new owner by November 30, 2012. This was the deadline to pay the fees to enter the 2013 Formula One season. Unfortunately, they couldn't find a buyer in time. Because of this, HRT was left off the 2013 entry list.
The team then went into a process called "liquidation," which means selling off its assets. Even though some people tried to buy and restart the team, it didn't happen. The cars and equipment were eventually sold to Teo Martín, who owns a company that recycles car parts. He plans to use the cars in a different racing series called the EuroBOSS Series.
So, the HRT Formula 1 Team, the first Spanish F1 team, sadly closed its doors after three challenging seasons.
Images for kids
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Bruno Senna completed 17 laps of the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix before retiring with an overheating engine.
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Karun Chandhok recorded Hispania Racing's first finish with fourteenth position at the Australian Grand Prix.
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Sakon Yamamoto replaced Chandhok for the 2010 German Grand Prix.
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Bruno Senna continued to drive for the rest of the season after missing the 2010 British Grand Prix. He is seen here at the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix.
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Vitantonio Liuzzi qualifying at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
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Vitantonio Liuzzi driving at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix
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Narain Karthikeyan (pictured) and Vitantonio Liuzzi joined the team for the 2011 season.
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Pedro de la Rosa in qualifying for the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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De la Rosa driving the F112 with revised livery at the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix.
See also
In Spanish: HRT Formula 1 Team para niños
