What is really going on at HRT ?

There is a change going on at HRT, but the details seem to be rather confused. There is talk from Spain of Addax owner Alejandro Agag becoming involved in the operation. My sources say that this is not going to happen. Thesan Capital might consider offsetting its risk by taking in partners, but that would require money.

At the same time, the team seems to be in the process of parting company with Geoff Willis. He was never an employee but rather worked on a consulting contract. This ran out and the signs are that it is not being renewed. This means that the idea of having a British drawing office has faded away completely, and for the last couple of months the team has been quietly putting together a more solid arrangement in Germany, where there is now an aerodynamic department in offices in downtown Munich, where around a dozen engineers are working. These include aerodynamicists and model-makers, under the leadership of Stephane Schosse, who began his career in the early 1990s with Ligier before moving on to Sauber and then Toyota. This team is currently preparing to work in the Mercedes GP Petronas wind tunnel in Brackley, where the car will be developed.

The team is also in the process of setting up a drawing office at Greding, an hour from Munich, where Jorg Zander will lead the team, assisted by José Gallego Segura, who has been with HRT for a couple of years. He started his career in 1998 with Toyota’s GT One sports car and the early F1 efforts before moving to Opel in DTM for a couple of years, before returning to F1 with BMW Sauber between 2006 and 2009. He then joined McLaren for a short period doing aerodynamic concept design.