Campos changes name to HRT

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Campos Meta will change its name to HRT ahead of the 2010 season. It stands for Hispania Racing Team – Hispania being the name of a group owned by Jose Ramon Carabante, who took over the team last week.

It’s not an ideal choice of name. The same acronym is used by the Holden Racing Team in the Australian V8 championship, which appears on the support bill for the Australian Grand Prix. Outside of the motor racing world many people would associate it Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Of greater concern to the team is the fact they still haven’t done any testing. According to Adam Cooper the team will officially present its car tomorrow, just eight days before the first practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

There’s no official word from the team yet – their website changed over to a holding page yesterday.

Read more: Changes at Campos put Kolles in charge

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Keith Collantine
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71 comments on “Campos changes name to HRT”

  1. I think I’ll just call them by their full name :P I like this team though. I like how when they got into trouble they just made the deal and it looks like some action is happening. Their the underdogs for me now but I just hope they stick with Senna.

    1. How come BMW Sauber havent dropped the BMW if these guys can change their name? Do you think BMW made a deal?

      1. Well I think it started out because there wasn’t time really, Sauber said it wasn’t one of their priorities and BMW were ok with it.

      2. It was for the TV money or something like that

        1. Yeah I think so too. They couldn’t change the name or risk losing the TV money that was coming to BMW Sauber.

          Since Campos Meta 1/HRT has no money coming from last season, they don’t lose.

      3. wait for the official entry list…

      4. Agree with you the name BMW Sauber Ferrari ( as they will be running with Ferrari engines)sounds ridiculous.

  2. I read here – http://www.formule1nieuws.nl/modules/news/article.php?storyid=31899 – that they are planning a shakedown at Imola.

    Maybe somebody can try to get over there to have a peek this week? Any ferrari fans or teammembers wanting to see a car limping to the track ;-)

  3. Ned Flanders
    3rd March 2010, 10:23

    HRT is the most boring team name I’ve heard for years. Hispania on its own would have been better. Then again, surely they could have come up with something more interesting than either.

    1. Robert McKay
      3rd March 2010, 10:26

      Hispania Racing is actually quite a nice name.

      Unfortunately acronymising it to HRT sounds considerably less appealing.

    2. HounslowBusGarage
      3rd March 2010, 10:28

      HRT is also Hormone Replacement Therapy!

      1. HounslowBusGarage
        3rd March 2010, 10:29

        Sorry, didn’t read the article properly.

      2. When I saw the headline in my RSS reader, Hormone Replacement Therapy is what I thought of first.

        Hispania or Hispania Racing are *much* better names I think

      3. lol I was thinking that, any bad menopause gags floating around?

    3. HRT is pretty well know in australia already as it is the name of one of the leading v8 supercar teams (australian touring cars, now with races in bahrain, yas-marina, new zealand and potentially malaysia or singapore) … it stands for Holden Racing Team, holden is the name of general motors in australia.

      1. Jarred Walmsley
        3rd March 2010, 18:05

        Thats what I was thinking as well, for the Brits Holden = Vauxhall

  4. according to Adam Cooper they had to use HRT because of the FIA:

    As we suggested yesterday, the ex-Campos team will not officially be known as Hispania Racing, as that name was not accepted by the FIA. Instead it will use only those initials, and will henceforth be the HRT F1 team.

    1. I wonder on what grounds they prevented the change…

      1. Yes, espessially when you take in account, that the HRT acronym is used by a well nown motorsport outfit!

        Maybe the spanish FIA member objected to this?

      2. The Hispania name is not bad, it can be taken as hinting to “hispanics” in general. That could include the whole of South America as well.
        It actually makes me think of the name i thought up for a Campos/USF1 merger – Americas Racing.

        So really signing Senna and Lopez to the team would fit.

        1. yeah the fia probably didn’t want a f1 team to represent a race of people! it’d be kind of exclusive.

          1. Well there is Force India and was going to be USF1 (more geography/country than race hopwever)

        2. No, it wouldn’t.
          There are four non-hispanic countries in South America: Guiana, French Guiana, Suriname and Brazil

          1. would you say they’re all Latin?

          2. I know that strictly speaking not all countries in South America have a spanish background. Brazil having portugese roots, Guyana French/Black and Suriname Dutch/Black with Indian hindoes. Not to forget the huge population of Native American/Indian people.

            But a lot of people in general refer to the whole of South America (and middle America as well) as being “hispanics”.

        3. dude, the word Hispania is more than 2000 years old, it was the Roman name for all land south of the pirenees mountains. North was Galia (france), Germania (germany), the even invented the word Brittannia.

          little link follows
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispania

    2. Its a bit weired being called HRT F1 team of its not abbreviated it would be ‘Hispania Racing Team F1 team’ why not just HRF1 or somwthing like that

  5. Oh God, how embarrassing! I’ll call it Hispania for sure.

  6. They are using the Hispania name not only because of Carabante’s group. Hispania was the name used by Romans to say Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain).

  7. the-muffin-man
    3rd March 2010, 10:33

    How can they change their name so easily when Sauber seem to be stuck with the BMW name!?

    1. There are limits as to how often they can change their name (probably not for new teams).
      I understand, that the new name of the “BMW Sauber Ferrari” will probably appear on the definitive entry list the FIA will publish, now the name of the Campos/Hispania outfit is clear.
      This list will also give defenitive information (hope so) on USF1 and Stefan GP for this year.

    2. We want turbos
      3rd March 2010, 14:21

      Because a name change would cost sauber tv money it earned from where it finished last year, as campos/hrt didn’t compete last year they have nothing to lose

  8. Any thoughts on Karun Chandhok as the 2nd driver?

    I think Mallya did not want to take him on, because he was not fast enough. Maybe they will replace him with Lopez during the season (Lopez has at least been winning championships in cars lately)?

    Great if they make it to Bahrain and get to at least 1/3 of the GP distance in their “live testing” on track. I expect Dallarra to have some support personell there as well to assist.

    1. I remember one poster here ages ago suggested that it was political?

      1. You mean political with Mallya not signing Chandhok then, or (possibly) Bernie pushing Campos to get an Indian in the car now?

    2. Think its unfair to say he’s slow. yes, he was far behind his Ocean racing team mate lat year, but you have to say he was in the wrong place. In 2008 he was not far behind Bruno Senna. Mallya only said he hasn’t proved himself to be at Force India, never said he was slow. Now that he has de money to land a F1 deal, is an opportunity to prove his worth.

  9. Menopause Racing!!

    1. Parkinson Racing!!!

      1. @Dingle Dell : Now that’s a good name for USF1

  10. Maybe they’re sponsored by HRT because of the age of the drivers….

    Sorry, I’ll get my coat….

  11. When I read they would be called HRT I initially thought of Hormone Replacement Therapy, I think Hispania Racing is much better.

    Well at least it looks they will make it to Bahrain even if they won’t have done any testing before the Grand Prix.

  12. For a moment there I was excited, I thought Holden was going to be trying to enter F1.

    1. Terry Fabulous
      3rd March 2010, 11:07

      They need to beat 888 before they can worry about McLaren and Ferrari!

      1. atleast 888 are commies now!

      2. someone, anyone, needs to find a way to beat 888 racing (even though i’m a fan of theirs), they are just so good at the moment, but it would be good to see HRT, FPR or SBR take it to them!

        1. Hopefully normal service will be resumed at Clipsall !

          1. 888 are unbelievable. First they build the new FG, win the first few races, then they change to Holden, and they win the first few races.

            For the last 3 years, Whincup has clean sweeped the opening round of the championship.

            Hopefully HRT (Not Campos) can come strong soon (Hopefully by Clipsal so I can see GT win at my home track)

  13. FIA seem to favour faceless acronyms over names that stand for something. Doesn’t help attract new fans to F1 does it?

    I’m guessing RBR or BAR were to avoid naming Red Bull which was banned in France or British American Tobacco – but it doesn’t explain STR or HRT, or “MF1” instead of “Midland”?

    Or maybe Ferrari vetoed it…

  14. HRT means “Hrvatska radio televizija” (Croatian radio & television). They must use another stupid name. Silly.

  15. So one minute the cars will be driving beautifully, then for no discernable reason become awful and unpredictible. They will also get heavier as the season goes on and the team will lose confidence, before reinventing itself mid season with a disgusting new livery.

    Seriously, Hispania Racing was a pretty good name, but HRT? No.

    1. yea, but your just not use to it. HRT are the legendary team down under, you don’t even think of possible other acronyms.

  16. I’m fairly certain that commentators will call them ‘Hispania’. You rarely hear Red Bull being refered to as ‘RBR’ or ‘STR’ for Toro Rosso.

    1. Ned Flanders
      3rd March 2010, 13:28

      Same with MF1 back in 2006. Everyone just called them Midland.

    2. Not if you’re brazilian…
      The Brazilian TV Network Globo refers to Red Bull as “RBR”, Toro Rosso as “STR”, Virgin as “Manor”, Midland was “MF1”.. which kinda sucks really..

  17. HRT give it thumbs down should have been espania racing team or espania f1 now hormonial changes can be a problems on the track only two good things aboutthis team they stuck it out and it looks like they will be in Bahrain and that bruno senna is getting his chance to drive in f1

  18. i’ll call them ‘hurt’ instead.

  19. Who is the second driver for Campos/HRT??? On gpupdate you can read that Lopez may get the reserve driver seat at HRT but who is the second driver than?

  20. so will their pit garage be called … The HRT Locker?
    sorry!!

  21. Hormone Racing…does this mean the radio voices will be very high, or very low?

    Will the car have a moustache on the front wing?

    Will the car have a hot flash once a race, giving it a burst of speed?

    Sorry, just couldn’t resist. Surely to goodness they could have used a different name. We have an entire season of bad jokes to look forward to.

    @Donal…Hurt Locker, indeed. LOL

  22. Cue any scenario between hormone replscement therapy and a virgin on track

    1. Beat me to it!

  23. Hampton Roads Transit

  24. Prisoner Monkeys
    3rd March 2010, 22:08

    HRT? It’s pretty bland.

    That said, I think they’ll be universally referred to as Hispania. The HRT is just a formality for the entry list.

  25. Magnificent_Geoffrey
    3rd March 2010, 23:54

    Am I the only one here who wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised if we don’t see either HRT or StefanGP around this time next year?

    1. So you are saying that the expected dose of HRT will not be enough…

  26. I don’t quite understand why Campos can change their name, but Sauber still races as BMW… Can anyone solve this mystery?

  27. I new the HRT sounded familiar. (Holden Racing Team not Hormone Replacement Therapy) :P

  28. J.A. Summers
    4th March 2010, 21:11

    …I’ll call them Dallara-Cosworths…

  29. HRT is also short for Hrvatska radiotelevizija – Croatian radiotelevision, which will be broadcasting the F1 season in Croatia this year :)

  30. Regarding the new name… let the jokes begin…

  31. forget about about it the following is something intriguing

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