Tony Fernandes has given a strident defence of his formula one team, Caterham.

The former Team Lotus outfit, headed by the cheery Malaysian entrepreneur Fernandes, entered its third season with high hopes it was set to join the midfield mix.

Instead, the green cars – whilst still the cream of the backmarker group – are still better only than fellow stragglers Marussia and HRT.

The Finnish broadcaster MTV3′s well-known analyst Mika Salo has advised lead driver Heikki Kovalainen to therefore quit Caterham at the end of 2012.

“Something has been wrong with the car,” Kovalainen is quoted as saying by Turun Sanomat newspaper this week. “We need to see what is not right.”

Fernandes, meanwhile, is looking fervently on the bright side, insisting Caterham has done markedly better than F1′s other 2010 start-ups.

“We are competitive,” he told the Sun, reminding that Caterham was the last 2010 team given its official entry by the FIA a few years ago.

“We’ve blown away Marussia and HRT when in actual fact they have been there six months longer,” insisted Fernandes.

“We are half a second away from the established midfield … you must remember that this team is only two years old.

“When I started, we were nine seconds away from the front. Last year we were about four seconds away from Red Bull.

“This year, on certain laps, we lapped at the same pace as them. So I am very happy and I am strengthening the team all the time,” he added.

But one of Caterham’s direct rivals, HRT, is looking to make a major step forwards this weekend in China, having struggled recently in the wake of team supremo Colin Kolles’ departure.

“We come into this grand prix having had much more time to prepare the cars,” Pedro de la Rosa is quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE.

“We will bring small improvements to China but what we really need is the cars back in Europe and then the team can concentrate at the (new headquarters) Caja Magica.

“Step by step we will improve,” said the Spanish driver.

HRT’s team boss has admitted installing KERS is an unlikely goal for the struggling Spanish team this year.

Luis Perez Sala said the new F112 was designed to accommodate the energy-recovery technology, but qualifying comfortably within the 107 per cent rule is a better target for now.

“We have a car we are yet to discover,” he told El Confidencial.

Indeed, HRT travelled to Australia last month having hardly run its new Cosworth-powered car, and failed to qualify for the season opener.

“It is designed to carry KERS but in the short term we will not (use it). We don’t think we’re going to race with it this year,” he added.

“So, in this respect, it’s not perfect. Right now, we have assembled the car in a hurry and so the private testing at Mugello, just after Bahrain, will be very important to us.”

Sala, having rebuilt HRT following the departure of team boss Colin Kolles, was speaking from HRT’s new headquarters at the Caja Magica (Magic Box).

“After Bahrain, we will have the cars here. From the Spanish grand prix, we will begin to function more effectively.

“In China and Bahrain we will improve things in the car and the team, but it is a slow process that will last all year.

“As I sit here (in Madrid), some people are in Valencia, others in Germany, England … the cars are flying to China and we need to address issues of reliability, not just performance.”

It is a tough situation for HRT, but Sala concedes that the ‘paddock perception’ of the team is that it has gone backwards since debuting in 2010.

“It is really our first year,” he insists.

He reveals that Bernie Ecclestone, once a staunch critic of the struggling backmarkers, is “quiet”.

“We have not had any problems, I think he is calm,” said Sala.

It is also a busy time off the track for HRT, as many rival teams are busily signing the new Concorde Agreement for 2013.

“There are teams that are more advanced than others; for us, the negotiations are still at the beginning,” he said.

The most obvious goals right now, Sala insists, are to have “a team that works together, has a reliable car and a small team that can develop it, and we’re around 105pc off the pole”.

Martin Brundle has admitted he is surprised HRT is still struggling so much at the start of its third season in formula one.

Better known then as ‘Hispania’, the Spanish team was founded by Adrian Campos after former FIA president Max Mosley opened up three new places in pitlane for the start of the 2010 season.

But last year, the team’s second group of owners – the Carabante family – passed the baton yet again to Thesan Capital, who have rebuilt HRT in the wake of the management and infrastructure that was brought by former boss Colin Kolles.

Even so, the highly respected British commentator and former grand prix veteran Martin Brundle is surprised that Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan are struggling so much with the team’s Cosworth-powered 2012 car.

“Somebody’s got to be at the front, somebody’s got to be at the back,” the Briton told the BBC motoring programme Top Gear’s website.

“(But) the HRT is particularly poor at the moment, and it confuses me why in year three it’s worse than it was in year one.”

Carlos Gracia, an FIA vice-president and head of Spain’s motor racing federation, doesn’t fully agree.

Speaking to the sports newspaper Marca, he explained that veteran de la Rosa faces a “handicap” as the Spaniard races with HRT this year.

“He knows where he is; in a brand new team, although some people believe it is their third year.

“They have begun again, but it seems that they are in a situation where they have only just started and yet they have to clean up the image of the other years.

“That’s his handicap, but the team will have credibility because of Pedro and also because of a good business investment,” added Gracia.

 Former boss Colin Kolles and his Greding-based company is no longer involved, but there remains a strong German input with the struggling team HRT.
A report in the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper reveals that the new Cosworth-powered F112 car, which failed to qualify in Melbourne last weekend, was designed and built in Augsburg, a city in the south-west of Bavaria.

It is there that, since November 2011, the Holzer-Gruppe company has been frantically building up the Cosworth-powered cars for Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan.

“Under our management almost everything has been made here in Bobingen,” said Gunther Holzer.

“For the wind tunnel we used the Mercedes facility in Brackley (UK),” he added.

Eight of F1′s 12 teams are based in England, with the others either in Italy (Ferrari and Toro Rosso) or Switzerland (Sauber).

HRT uses Williams’ gearbox.

“We wanted to go our separate way, not like almost everyone else who are all within a few miles of Oxford,” said HRT chief executive Saul Ruiz de Marcos.

The team’s longer plan is to be solely based in Madrid, but for now Holzer will lead the development of the F112.

“For the start of the European season in Spain we are planning the first improvements to the car,” said Marcos.

Holzer explained: “The car is designed first for safety and so is heavy compared to the competition. For the future we are focused on making it lighter.”

Before the lighter car debuts in Barcelona, HRT faces three more challenges – Malaysia, China and Bahrain – at which the sport’s 107 per cent rule will be a major hurdle.

“The goal is to qualify, there is no other,” admitted de la Rosa. “Race reliability is something else we need to work on, but first we have to qualify.”

A typically hot, humid and thundery weekend is forecast for the Malaysian grand prix.
New championship leader Jenson Button travels to Kuala Lumpur eyeing a weather forecast of possible rain for all three days of track action.

And as ever in tropical Malaysia, the highest chance of rain is always in the late afternoon.

“Bernie (Ecclestone) loves a late start,” smiled Red Bull’s Mark Webber, “and, once again, the race has a late kick-off.”

Indeed, qualifying and the race are not scheduled until 4pm local in Malaysia, ensuring a more civil early morning wake-up for F1′s bulk live audience in Europe.

“Late afternoon is usually when the rain comes in Malaysia, and when it comes you know about it,” said Australian Webber. “It’s something to be wary of.”

Even more nervous about the rain forecasts will be HRT.

After sitting out almost the entire winter whilst rebuilding the struggling Spanish team following Colin Kolles’ departure, Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan failed to qualify in Melbourne.

“In Australia we were only able to complete seven timed laps so I need to get more track time, get to know the car better and improve the setup,” said de la Rosa.

 Pedro de la Rosa has defended the viability of struggling HRT, despite its new owners trying to build up a formula one team in the mist of a near-unprecedented economic crisis.
The unemployment rate in Spain has spiralled past 20 per cent, and yet owners Thesan have taken on the task of rebuilding the former Hispania team following the departure of boss Colin Kolles and all the infrastructure.

The F112, bearing more than a striking resemblance to the Dallara-designed 2010 and 2011 car, was launched recently with a new livery but only two visible sponsors.

Asked whether it is a good time to push ahead in Spain with a formula one project, lead driver de la Rosa said: “Any moment can be good.

“There is a large labour force in Spain, highly educated and motivated people, young people pushing hard and experienced people.”

But in formula one, money is the fuel and it’s difficult to come by at present.

“This is a time of crisis,” de la Rosa acknowledged to DPA news agency, “and also it has been noticed in formula one and budgets have gone down.”

He admitted, however, that HRT will have to attract more backing in order to survive.

“If the (financial) injection does not come, it is going to be difficult,” said the 41-year-old. “We need sponsors, investors who believe in the project, to help us to grow.

“It’s obvious, we need it, but first we need to build a foundation so it can be seen that it is profitable to invest in our team,” he added.

 HRT has confirmed that its 2012 car, the F112, will finally make its track debut on Monday.
Recently, the FIA barred Red Bull and Ferrari from tweaking their test schedules so that their Barcelona running could end on Monday.

But struggling backmarker HRT asked its rivals for special permission, given it had yet to use its separate allowed test day for ‘filming and promotional’ purposes.

Actually, the Cosworth-powered HRT is also being launched, debuted and shaken down, after a failed FIA crash test delayed progress for a team already recovering from a change of ownership and the exit of boss Colin Kolles.

A report in the German press said HRT has been focused not only on the ‘step nose’ 2012 car, but also buying up all the infrastructure needed for a new F1 team — like pitstop wheel guns at EUR 4000 apiece.

The team said Narain Karthikeyan will do the driving at the Circuit de Catalunya on Monday, with Pedro de la Rosa and reserve Dani Clos also on hand.

EFE news agency quotes de la Rosa as admitting the first six months this year will be “very hard” for HRT.

Other Spanish reports said the F112 was finally fired up in the factory on Sunday.

“I’m very happy,” said de la Rosa, “but also I know how much work is ahead, because we are two months late and we are starting with virtually no preseason.”

Referring to Monday’s shakedown, he added: “It’s better than nothing and, for us, it’s almost a victory,” de la Rosa is quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

 HRT’s tumultuous history could be set to continue, if a report in an authoritative German newspaper is right.
Die Welt claims Thesan Capital, the Madrid-based investment company that bought the Spanish team from Jose Ramon Carabante last year, is already on the lookout for a new buyer.

Originally known as Hispania, HRT was actually founded as Campos by former Spanish F1 driver Adrian Campos when the FIA opened up the grid ahead of the 2010 season.

Die Welt claims that the latest owner Thesan’s desire to sell follows the departure of team boss Colin Kolles, who left with almost every one of the team’s 120 employees back to his Greding based company.

Kolles also took all of HRT’s technical equipment back to Greding, Germany, leaving the team on a desperate struggle to be ready for the forthcoming season.

Nonetheless, HRT announced on Wednesday it is establishing a permanent base at the Spanish tennis open headquarters Caja Magica in Madrid.

But Die Welt claims the team may soon be sold to Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world who already backs Sauber through Sergio Perez and his Mexican companies.

HRT has insisted that its new car will be in action before the opening round of the new F1 season despite running into delays with its plans for 2012.

The team has undergone extensive restructuring in recent months after a change of ownership during the 2011 campaign, which has led to suggestion that – for a third straight year – the team was in a race against time to carry out any pre-season testing.

While team principal Luis Perez-Sala wasn’t available for interview, a spokeswoman for the Spanish team told the BBC that the team was working towards running the new car for the first time in the second test of the year, which will take place in Barcelona.

The new car is reported to have started its FIA crash tests, which it is required to pass before it will allowed to take part in any on-track action.

“Luis Perez-Sala is fully focused at the moment on the car and the new structure, and he prefers not to give any statements or interviews to the press for now until everything is in place,” the spokeswoman said.

“Rumours that we will take part in the initial grands prix with the 2011 car are not true. The target is to be at the second [pre-season] test with the new car.

“There’s been, and still is, a lot to work on but, even if we may struggle in the beginning, the structure that is being built now is a lot more solid, reliable and committed. Hopefully, we’ll be able to prove all that soon and change the team’s perception, which is no longer real. It won’t be a bed of roses but we’ll manage to do it.”

Ermestel, a Spanish company specialized in datacenter infrastructure transformation based on technologies such as Virtualization and Cloud Computing, has reached an agreement with HRT Formula 1 Team by which it will become an IT Official Supplier to the team for the next three years. The team has decided to trust in the sound experience and guarantee of the integrator’s IT projects to face the new racing season.

For the 2012 season, together with Spanish driver Pedro de la Rosa, HRT is working towards being as competitive as possible in such a demanding world as is the pinnacle of motorsport and, along with national companies such as Ermestel, continuing to grow the “Spain” brand and helping to increase its international recognition.

Ermestel, through this agreement, will manage the entire IT infrastructure of the Spanish team whilst also supplying the team with a disaster recovery system.

Pedro Tortosa, Ermestel CEO: “Formula 1 represents excellence in technological innovation and style and I believe that those are values that perfectly suit Ermestel. HRT Formula 1 Team transmitted to us the importance of counting with a great technological partner, since without this base, the most visible aspects such as the car and the driver wouldn’t function properly. We are delighted that they have decided to trust in us for the management of the IT platform, which in such an innovative and standout world as is Formula 1, represents a great responsibility and a thrilling challenge that gives us the opportunity to prove our national leadership in innovative technologies”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, HRT F1 Team Team Principal: “In a sport that is extremely competitive and demanding as is Formula 1, everything has to work quickly and to perfection. Ermestel’s contribution will be fundamental for our systems to operate with the required performance and reliability. HRT is a young team with a long road yet ahead, but thanks to this alliance with another innovative Spanish company we will continue to grow as a team”.

- Ends -

ABOUT ERMESTEL

ErmesTel is a Madrid-based systems integrator specialized in datacenter infrastructure transformation. Since more than ten years ago they design and deploy innovative IT solutions based on Virtualization and Cloud Computing technologies and products that allow their customers to consolidate, optimize, manage and support virtual datacenter infrastructures, both in-house and external.
In the field of virtualization, ErmesTel has been present in the main projects in Spain since 2002, becoming the national reference delivered over 450 projects in the major sectors (Banking, Public Sector, Insurance, Industry).

Areas of expertise:

-    IT Infrastructure: Virtualization, Storage Solutions, Network (SAN, LAN), Backup, Disaster Recovery.
-    Infrastructure Services: Analysis and Consulting, Design of Projects, Supply Hardware and Software, Deployment and Configuration, Training, Support Service.
-    Managed Services: MS of Virtual Infrastructure, MS of Mail (Exchange or Zimbra), MS of Updating.
-    Cloud Computing: DRaaS (Disaster Recovery in Cloud) y DaaS (Desktop in Cloud)

Contact ErmesTel: Cristina García, Head of Marketing and Communication
c.garcia@ermestel.com
+34 91 744 05 77
www.ermestel.com

 The eventual occupant of the second race seat at HRT – the final place on the 2012 grid – will bring “no less” than EUR 6 million to the table.
That is the claim of the Spanish sports daily Marca, reporting that Dutchman Giedo van der Garde is apparently on pole position to be Pedro de la Rosa’s teammate at the struggling Spanish team.

The newspaper said Dutch GP2 driver van der Garde seems to have at least the requisite 6 million in sponsorship but acknowledged that “the list of candidates is long”.

“I am still waiting for good news,” 26-year-old van der Garde is quoted by De Telegraaf newspaper, “and I’m positive.

“I’m training hard to prepare myself as best as possible,” he added on Tuesday.

Some regard the growing influence of ‘pay-drivers’ as bad news for a premier sport such as formula one.

“Whatever happens,” said Felipe Massa last week amid rumours he could lose his Ferrari seat, “at least I know I’ve never had to pay to drive.”

Former Minardi driver Luis Perez Sala has taken over as team principal at HRT.

The news, announced in a media statement issued by the Spanish team on Thursday, follows Wednesday’s news that Colin Kolles has stepped down.

52-year-old Spaniard Sala, who contested 32 grand prix weekends with Minardi at the end of the 80s, was appointed as an official advisor by HRT’s new owners Thesan Capital earlier this year.

“It is the best decision we could make,” said chief executive Saul Ruiz de Marcos, who revealed that Manfredi Ravetto, formerly the team’s director of business affairs, is also leaving the team.

Spanish former Formula 1 driver Luis Pérez-Sala (Barcelona, 15th on May 1959) takes on, as of today, the role of Team Principal of HRT F1 Team after the exit of the head sporting figure from the Spanish team.

With the naming of Luis Pérez-Sala at the fore of the team, HRT F1 Team closes one chapter and begins a new one, which will hopefully come with new successes and satisfactions. Having Pedro de la Rosa at the helm, headquarters in Spain and the design of next season’s car being carried out internally, this is an exciting project although there is still much work to do before the 2012 season begins in Australia on the 18th of March.

Saúl Ruiz de Marcos, HRT F1 Team CEO: “From the moment we took control of the team last July, the first thing we did was to study and value where we were, whilst also set ourselves a target and establish a strategy. We have been working discretely but relentlessly towards this for the last few months. We’ve always made it clear that our priorities were the car, the headquarters and our drivers. The car is evolving, Pedro has been a great asset to the team and we have always wanted to settle the team in Spain and have everybody working under one roof. Since we began working with Luis (Pérez-Sala) our connection has been great. Now he takes on a much more key role in the team but the decision was an easy one given his knowledge and his way of doing things. It is the best decision we could make. I would like to also thank Colin (Kolles) and Manfredi (Ravetto) for their work and dedication in these two years that the team has existed and I wish them the very best for the future”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal of HRT F1 Team: “This naming is an honor but also a great responsibility. I joined the team as an advisor to the new owners and to contribute with my experience in any possible way. We had to establish a base from which to grow slowly and we are now seeing the first rewards of that work. But we mustn’t lose our perspective and be aware that assuming responsibilities such as designing the car or moving the headquarters to Spain are huge tasks and we still have a lot of work ahead. We must be patient and keep in mind that we cannot expect to achieve great success in the short term, but we can take a team forward that we can all feel proud of. The simple fact that Spain has a team in the pinnacle of motorsports is already a great feat; we’re a part of the G12. And that, apart from being an honor, means a greater development to the structure and everything surrounding it”.

Luis Pérez-Sala profile

Luis Pérez-Sala was born in Barcelona on the 15th of May of 1959. He made his first steps in motorsport in karting and in 1980 he won the Spanish Renault Cup. The following year, alongside Luis Villamil, Pérez-Sala won the 2 hours Renault 5. In 1983 he began to compete on the international stage in the Alfasud Sprint Cup and one year later he competed in Formula 3 as a part of team Campsa. From there he moved onto F3000 where he was runner-up in 1987 and one year later, in 1988, he made the definitive step into Formula 1 with Minardi. He completed two whole seasons with the Italian outfit and achieved his best result at the 1989 British Grand Prix where he finished in sixth place, helping him to score one point in Formula 1. In his first season with Minardi, Luis teamed up alongside Adrián Campos making it the first time ever that two Spanish drivers coincided in a same Formula 1 team.

After abandoning the pinnacle of motorsport, Luis returned to Spain to compete in the national touring car championships. He won the Spanish touring car championships in 1991 and 1993 and finished runner-up at the 1999 Lamborghini Europa Trophy. In 2000 he took the 24 hours of Barcelona title in the diesel category and in 2003 and 2004 he won the Spanish GTB Cup alongside Manel Cerqueda. In 2005 he won the 24 hours of Barcelona once again, but this time in the main category and the following year he ended in second. In 2008 he was runner-up in the Spanish GT championship and won the Trofeo Ibérico along with Manel Cerqueda Jr. in what would be his final season before retiring.

Since 1990 he combined his sporting career with work as a lecturer, commentator and technical analyst for different media channels (RTVE, El País, TV3, Grand Prix, etc.). He is also specialized in all kinds of instruction and formation courses related with technical motorsport formation on tracks for competition drivers, and he is also a part of the Joves Pilots del Circuit de Catalunya program. A program backed by the Generalitat of Catalunya, the Circuit de Catalunya, the RACC and the Catalan Motorsport Federation and that in the 2011 season has backed four drivers: Daniel Juncadella (F3 Euroseries) who recently became the first Spanish driver to ever win at the prestigious F3 Macau Grand Prix, Víctor Colomé (French F4 Championships), Gerard Barrabeig (European and Italian F-Abarth) and Álex Riberas (Eurocup FR 2.0). Other drivers such as Jaime Alguersuari, Miquel Molina (DTM), Dani Clos (GP2), Albert Costa (Formula Renault 3.5) and Miki Monrás (Formula 2) have also gone through the program in previous seasons.

In July of 2011, Pérez-Sala returned to Formula 1 as a sporting advisor to HRT F1 Team where he is now the head sporting figure after being named Team Principal.

Pedro de la Rosa was officially presented today as an HRT F1 Team driver for the next two seasons. The act took part at the “Consejo Superior de Deportes” in Madrid and was attended by Saúl Ruiz de Marcos (HRT F1 Team, CEO), Luis Pérez-Sala (HRT F1 Team, Sports Advisor), Carlos Gracia (Real Federación Española de Automovilismo, President) and Matilde García (CSD, General Director).

Pedro de la Rosa: “This is a very special day and I’m very happy to be in the company of, not only Luis and Saúl as representatives of HRT, but also Carlos Gracia and Matilde García, who are the maximum representatives of two organizations that have backed me since I started my career. Returning to the active competition is something that makes me very happy and even more so to do it with a Spanish team. The first time we spoke in July I didn’t see myself as part of this project. However, meeting Saúl and the fact that Luis, one of my idols, is part of the team, finding out more about the project and to see that, little by little, what they told me was materialising is what convinced me. I said to myself, I have to be there! It’s a huge task but also a fascinating and meditated one. We know that it’s not going to be easy but I’m going to contribute work, experience and effort to grow together. And I hope that we can receive everyone’s support so that in the near future we can feel proud of ourselves. I’ve come to stay and I want to thank HRT for trusting in me, but also Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes because without them I wouldn’t be here and thanks to them, today I am a better driver”.

Pedro de la Rosa audio file

Saúl Ruiz de Marcos, HRT F1 Team CEO: “I’m very excited to have been able to announce Pedro as an HRT driver. Since we arrived a few months ago, one of the pillars upon which we wanted to base the project was having Pedro on the team. From day one we got straight down to work to try and convince him and after four months of negotiations I am very proud to have achieved it. We are on the right path, taking every step at a time and turning the project we had in mind at the beginning into reality. We are working discretely, with humility and analysis and every decision made has been premeditated to ensure that it is correct. I think we are on the right track to becoming a great Spanish team in one year’s time”.

Luis Pérez-Sala: “We joined this project back in August and tried to convince Pedro to come on board from day one. It wasn’t easy as he was very happy at Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes but, in the end, he’s decided to join us and I’m very proud to have him on our team for the next two years. When we took on this project in August, we thought that it was necessary to define a strategy and set some solid bases and Pedro was a key factor for this project to be viable. He is a driver with a lot of talent and his experience of over 12 years in F1 will help us to grow in the right path”.

Carlos Gracia, RFEdA president: “Today is a very important day for Spanish sport and for motorsport in general. First of all, I would like to thank Saúl, Luis, Matilde and, above all, Pedro. I believe that our nation’s sport is going through different phases and this project which we are presenting today is a new one. From the RFEdA we fully support HRT, a team that is here to stay and that we all want to see grow and consolidate itself. Pedro is my friend and my passion, a home grown product that I’m terribly proud of. I’m sure that HRT have got it right signing Pedro, because with him the team’s credibility will grow”.

HRT F1 Team continues to take important strides towards the consolidation of its solid project for 2012. After the recent technical announcements and with the new headquarters established in Spain, HRT takes a further step forward by announcing that Pedro de la Rosa will be a driver for the team next season. Reaching an agreement with the driver from Barcelona was a long desired target and a fundamental pillar for HRT F1 Team in its renewed project, which began in July after Thesan Capital acquired the team.

Pedro de la Rosa will join the team next January and will do so for two years. The alliance was possible thanks to the interest of all the parties involved; although in the end it was the support of his current team, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, which enabled the deal to come through.

Born on the 24th of February 1971 in Barcelona, Pedro de la Rosa has been a pioneer in Spanish motorsports and has built up a prestigious reputation worldwide through his results in Formula 1 over the years. He is, without a doubt, an important acquisition for HRT F1 Team for the 2012 campaign.

Pedro de la Rosa: “This is a very important step in my sporting career and one of the most meditated ones I’ve taken. I’m at a very good stage in terms of maturity and am prepared to take on this challenge, which motivates me hugely. When deciding on joining this project, for me there were three decisive factors: my desire to return to the active competition, the fact that HRT is a Spanish team and getting to know the people leading this project, Luis Pérez-Sala being amongst them. I’m here to work hard, with modesty and humility, accepting where we are now but keeping in mind where we want to be in 2 years time. For me, this is the time to put into practice everything that I have learnt over the years at international top level racing teams so that we can grow together. I am proud that Spain has an F1 team and that I have this opportunity to be its driver. I can only show my gratitude towards HRT for having trusted in me for this. Lastly, I can’t forget to thank McLaren for allowing me to take this step. I have been very happy over the eight seasons I spent with them, growing as a driver and person. Without them I wouldn’t be here today”.

Colin Kolles, HRT Team Principal: “The team’s objective has always been to reinforce itself in every aspect: economically, technically and in a sporting aspect. Without a doubt, the addition of Pedro de la Rosa for next year will be a fundamental foundation in the development of our project. We are a young team that needs to continue progressing and with this incorporation I am convinced that we will do just that. Apart from being a great person he is an experienced driver as his career and prestige in Formula 1 prove. I give him my most sincere welcome. I am sure that he will adapt perfectly and that together we will achieve great things”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, HRT Sports Advisor: “We have been working very hard for months on next season with the aim of making HRT F1 Team a more stable, competitive and reliable team and, little by little, this hard work is paying off. Having Pedro on board for this project is great news and with his ability and experience we are sure that we can take an important stride. I would like to thank Pedro for his trust and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for its predisposition to reach a positive agreement for everybody”.

All interested media are summoned to a press conference taking place tomorrow, Tuesday the 22nd of November, at 12.30hrs at the “Consejo Superior de Deportes” in Madrid (Martín Fierro St.). Pedro de la Rosa, Saúl Ruiz de Marcos (HRT F1 Team, CEO), Luis Pérez-Sala (HRT F1 Team, Sports Advisor) and Carlos Gracia (RFEdA President) will be attending the conference.

Please confirm attendance to:
• Maria Serrat: maria.serrat@hrtf1team.com, +34 647 370 231
• Claudia Cuello: claudia.cuello@pedrodelarosa.com, +34 647 74 24 35