HRT finding hard to find sponsor and second driver

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HRT will, if necessary, wait until the eve of the Australian Grand Prix to name its second driver, according to a team spokesman.

It is the only team still to complete its line-up, and while Narain Karthikeyan was named last month, his team-mate remains uncertain.

While other teams are busy gathering data on their new cars and optimising them for their drivers, HRT officials told the press that, “We will announce in the next few weeks our lineup for 2011.” They are also the only team that have not yet revealed their car for the 2011 season and rather used their 2010 car to test the Pirelli tyres.

As far as performance is concerned, HRT has not been up to the mark in the last three tests. In Valencia, HRT driver, Narain Karthikeyan, drove on all three days and their performance was not impressive. Then they missed the Jerez test session in order to look for sponsors to support their new car. In Barcelona, they did try out a driver from Force India, Vitantonio Liuzzi, who appeared upbeat about his chances, but the fact he brings no money to the cash-strapped team remains a major obstacle. Karthikeyan was chosen because of the sponsorship he was able to bring with him, and the likelihood is HRT is trying to find a second pay-driver and will only consider other options when time runs out.

"We're not worried about the results of the test," the spokesman said. "Everybody knows that the lap times during a test is not the most important thing, because the teams use the test in order to prove and make changes in the car."

Serious concerns remain about HRT's funding, and the delays in naming its other driver can only fuel speculation its finances are in a parlous state.

Only 20 days remain until the Federation Internationale de Automobile (FIA) deadline to announce the driver and only four days until the last test. HRT must select someone quickly if they are to be competitive in the forthcoming season. Formula one supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, said the other day that there is one too many teams in the formula one circuit and a couple of teams should be left out for next season. He said, “Twelve teams is too many, I'd like to see ten, that's enough,” HRT seems a prime candidate to be left out if they don’t tie up their loose ends and at least finish in the midfield this season.