HRT missing from FIA’s 2013 F1 entry list

2013 F1 season

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HRT do not appear on the 2013 F1 entry list published by the FIA.

The deadline for entries to the 2013 F1 season passed yesterday. HRT was put up for sale last month.

The list does not include the identities of Sauber, Toro Rosso or Caterham’s drivers, though most of these have been confirmed by the teams.

Force India and Marussia’s drivers are listed as yet to be confirmed, as is the identity of Kimi Raikkonen’s team mate at Lotus.

It also indicates that Nico Rosberg will use the number nine at Mercedes next year and new team mate Lewis Hamilton’s car will bear the number ten.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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96 comments on “HRT missing from FIA’s 2013 F1 entry list”

  1. Sad to see a team go in such a fashion. Even though they had muliple difficulties, it’s never good to see a team depart like that.

    1. @joao-pedro-cq
      At least they got to the end of the season, plenty of teams haven’t…

    2. agree, and a shame for the guys & ladies that did everything they could to ensure they had 2 cars to race.

      Another team in the history of F1 thats gone. There will be others at some point ofcourse.

    3. They must have known going into the US and Brazil races that the lights in the shop were going to be turned off; credit to them for still plugging away to reach the end of the season, especially since the press was reporting that they had parts shortages and all.

      1. It’s sad, not unexpected.

        But the problem is, now Marussia or Caterham will most likely be the bottom team, and they will struggle for funding, and probably, they will sell or drop out, and this will continue.

        For the loser in F1, funding is very difficult. I think it needs to be addressed so that all teams get prize money, and use it more to keep smaller teams in the sport, instead of padding the already wealthy teams leather wallets.

        HRT did an admirable job, and the drivers, particularly De La Rosa, and all the mechanics and engineers should be very proud of what they achieved.

  2. Also Mercedes have dropped ‘AMG’ from their team name…

    1. Which is interesting as I’m fairly sure it was only this year or last they first started using it! And I’d thought they’d been moving to use the “AMG” brand for F1 as opposed to Mercedes? I could be mistaken however!

    2. Also, didn’t Infinty have a title sponsorship with Red Bull??

      1. And what about Vodafone McLaren Mercedes?
        *wink wink*

    3. Just a question: why is Hamilton given #10 when he finished ahead of rosberg this year? Is it a tradition to assign the higher number to a new driver in a team? (unless he’s WDC)

      1. davidnotcoulthard
        2nd December 2012, 6:15

        Is it a tradition to assign the higher number to a new driver in a team?

        Is it a tradition to assign the higher lower number to a new driver in a team?

        ?

      2. FlyingLobster27
        2nd December 2012, 8:57

        Mercedes have always given the higher number to the driver who scored more points.

        1. FlyingLobster, can you explain to me then why Micheal Schumacher always carried the higher number over Nico when Nico out-scored him over a season???

          1. FlyingLobster27
            2nd December 2012, 13:10

            3<4 and 7<8. Schumacher carried the lower number. QED

          2. Normally Rosberg would have had nr 7. The only reason they assigned it to Schumacher is because he didn’t want to drive with an even number. Something supersticious.

      3. @isaactham It’s up to the team. When Alonso joined Ferrari he was new to the team so even though he finished ahead of Massa the previous year he was #8 to Massa’s #7.

        The same season Sauber picked up 2 new drivers to the team in de la Rosa and Kobayashi. Kamui finished higher in the previous season (Pedro didn’t race that year) but de la Rosa was given #22 and Kobayashi #23 because de la Rosa was the more senior driver. Schumacher did the same when he returned from his first retirement.

        Hamilton is the more senior driver in terms of success but Rosberg has started 18 more races and has been with the team for longer so I guess that got him #9.

        1. I read in an interview (or saw in a statement) from Nico that he now definitely wanted the lower/odd number for the qualifying benefit of better grid position. (Assuming I suppose if make but don’t run in Q3 your grid position relative to teammate is based on car number)

  3. No surprises there then. So we’re back to the 22 car grid sadly: I hope someone will fill the void in 2014 (or if we’re lucky two teams will join, although I’d highly doubt that). Even better if we could have two big manufacturers such as Audi/VW/Honda/Toyota!

    1. I’d like to see Porsche.

      1. @valentino The Porsche brand is owned by VW, so effectively he did! :D

    2. Smaller grid is nothing good, but having 2 more cars, which are lapped by 2-3 laps every race makes no sense. It would be better for F1 if Caterham or Marussia (or both of them) would join midfield teams than adding new team, which doesn’t have potential (like HRT).

      1. @osvaldas31 – that’s why I’d want Audi to join, or as @valentino has suggested Porsche! I too wouldn’t want another rendition of HRT: a team lacking in both potential and money.

        1. Yea, I’d also like to see Audi, Posrche or maybe even Hyundai/Kia joining F1 grid.

  4. Sad HRT couldn’t make a go of it. At least they tried. Hats of to them.

    On a side note, looking at the entries, and it seems totally obvious in retrospect, but F1 doesn’t use the number 13 – doh. Never really thought about it before lol.

    1. @uan It has been used in the past but yes, they seem wedded to this silly superstition now.

      1. Nice write up @keithcollantine. I agree it’d be cool to see a driver or team request the number 13.

        Speaking of numbers, I was a little surprised to see Hamilton be given the even number (10) with Mercedes. I know Rosberg’s earned the odd numbers the past 2 years on merit but has allowed Schumacher to have them. Howerver, Hamilton did finish higher in the driver standings. I know it’s the team’s decision and Rosberg is the “senior” Mercedes driver. I imagine Lewis may not mind, especially with the extra free time he’ll have with fewer sponsor/PR commitments.

        1. @uan Maybe it’s Lewis call, probably his only occasion to have a double digits number (let’s hope for him anyway)

          1. He had a double digit number in 2008 (22) when he won the championship. Maybe this one’s for good luck?

      2. To be honest I think it’s more a homage to the past. I like it.

    2. Yep men, hats off to HRT, running a car with a 32-staff members by the end was still amazing (they runned just 4+ seconds off the pace) when you compare to the frontrunner teams 600 peolple staff or so.
      We all thought they wouldn’t make it in 2010, then again in 2011, then again in 2012; so we have to be admirative at least they tried.

      Sad we’ll only have 2 cars next year, but some will be glad to only get 4 backmarkers to overtake.

      1. *22 cars of course not 2 lol

        1. @jayfreese ‘2 cars’. That made me LOL. Every team except HRT left F1. Lol

          1. @malleshmagdum
            yep F1 too cheap for them lol

  5. Can anyone take over the team in the winter and still be on the grid next year or is it 22 cars only?

    1. I think the teams are required to have paid an entry fee by now but I’m not sure!

    2. There really is not that much to take over @095cal, I think it would be easier to start afresh, maybe using one of the existing motorsport facilities in the UK to do so. And I highly doubt anyone is currently willing to put in 100-150 Million EUR to get through the first year or two and still not get closer than the likes of Caterham and Marussia have managed.
      It would make far more sense to invest such money in getting a piece of FI, or Investing in Sauber, get Williams shares or buy STR from Dieter Mateschitz if one has the money available

  6. If I’m honest I doubt HRT’s presence will be sorely missed. After all, they have achieved almost nothing in their 3 year presence bar many brake failures and cementing their place as the worst team on the grid. I can’t help but think that their generally weak driver line-ups and poor economic location hasn’t helped matters.

    Just about the only TV coverage they ever gained was when there was either an accident or when the leader was lapping them so I’m not surprised that Thesen Capital had put them up for sale if they weren’t getting any media exposure!

    1. Also, it’s confusing why the FIA haven’t listed Sauber’s or Toro Rosso’s driver line-ups; which of course have already been confirmed by the teams.

      1. I’d guess they don’t want to give anything away. Which is nice.

        1. Blagh, in the sense that the teams want to make something of it.

          1. *shakes head* I’m just not with it tonight..

        2. @alfie – I feel for you! I just find it strange that William’s are listed even though their driver line-up was confirmed only recently, yet Toro Rosso’s was confirmed a good few weeks/months ago. Strange, isn’t it?! I can only assume their must be some sort of clause in the contract which allows for a driver change before pre-season testing…no idea why there would be a change though!

  7. Sadly the departur of HRT is like the story of Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, everyone knew it was comming but nobody could stop it…

    Now thinking about the survival of an F1, I think there is very few ways to make it work:
    Being a team legacy: like Ferrary, Williams and Mclarean
    Being a strong brand team: Mercedes, Toro Rosso and Red Bull
    Playing to nationality of the team or teir drivers: Sauber with it´s Mexican drivers is one example
    Or belong to a very rich person: Marussia and Force India (with all the economical problems that FI owners has he still has tons of money)

    Sadly HRT try to play to the nacionality in a moment when Spain as a country doesn´t have any money

    1. Actually it’s nothing like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, because their entry contained not a single dose of either magic or realism.

      Call me hard hearted, but I won’t miss the team at all. The staff who worked so hard will hopefully find work elsewhere, but we have to be honest, what did they contribute to the grid? The succession of owners never got their act together, they never had sponsorship, they were never stable, and their place after 3 years was as it had been at the beginning: providing a warm seat for pay drivers, and allowing Bernie to claim a full grid. Nothing more.

      If they had been a potentially competitive team, I’d mourn their passing, but if they had another 3 years they’d still be exactly where they are now.

      I think next year qualifying will actually be more interesting. Two fewer cars means that instead of one midfield driver missing out on q2, it’ll be two. The pressure is on.

      1. True, very true. They did give me a few laughs though (at how pathetic they were)

  8. Given the budget and resources they had. Lasting 3 full seasons has been quite an accomplishment.

  9. hope kobayashi gets the lotus or force india seat

  10. I salute you HRT

  11. Interesting that Marussia still carries the legal name Manor, even after two ownership changes. Would be cool if we still saw Tyrrell, Stewart or Toleman on the list!

    1. davidnotcoulthard
      2nd December 2012, 6:23

      Jaguar…and Minardi?

  12. Sad news. I probably won’t miss the drivers and the team as such too much but F1 shouldn’t have lost a team without having a replacement for it. I don’t think it’s good that the already not-so-big grid has decreased by 2 cars.

  13. Very sad that HRT is out, they build a nice F1 factory in Spain this year and now have to stop. Formula 1 need many teams, not less. Hope for one Scandinavian team one day.

  14. It is funny how F1 Racing’s December issue explains how Lewis will be treated differently at Mercedes compared to McLaren, i. e. the driver to lead the team to the highest summits instead of a just-grown-up-child.

    In football, the number 10s are the creative motors of the XIs, the playmakers. (Well, often.) It is only fitting Lewis will take on the #10 car next year.

  15. the fact that some drivers are not in the list is probably due to the fact that their team sent the FIA the letter of application for the championship before officially announcing the line-up. So no issue at all :)

  16. So… 8 people will battle for Q3 ? Or will we loose 6 drivers in Q1 and 6 in Q2 ?

    I think 22 cars is plenty. Less blue flag action.

    On another note: am i the only one to be annoyed by the lack of N° 13 on the grid ? Superstition… how silly. And that in the 2013 season !

    1. I do believe it’ll revert back to the 6 out in Q1 and 6 out in Q2 regime.

    2. “On another note: am i the only one to be annoyed by the lack of N° 13 on the grid ? Superstition… how silly. And that in the 2013 season !”

      Do you (or anyone) know since when? And if some driver has broken “that tradition”?

    3. If Toro Rosso finish in 7th in standings next year maybe they request #13 for Felix da Costa! Is his favorite number! That will be good to see!

  17. Very sad news.

    From when I started watching F1, I have always had a certain respect for the teams near the back of the grid who are not winning, or even scoring points.

    Kudos to a group of guys who really only wanted to go racing. Like Minardi before them, I will mourn their passing. Perhaps because they didn’t have an obvious “figurehead” at the helm and were owned by a bank, HRT never achieved the same cult status as Minardi did.

    I’d bracket Sauber and formerly Jordan in a similar location – independents who want to go racing.

    For me Force India are just one man’s vanity project, and don’t anyone dare try and tell me that Toro Rosso are the same as Minardi. Yes, they use the same factory and base but they bear as much relation to Minardi as “Lotus/Genii” does to Teddy Toleman’s outfit of the 1980’s.

    Not a Minardi in my heart, but I for one shall mourn their passing and all-to-brief foray into F1.

    All hail Stefan GP! :-)

    1. Well, the staff at Toro Rosso mostly ex-Minardi.

  18. Yeah, sad to see a team go from the grid. But in a way, it does have me excited too. Think about it, with 12 cars now outside the top 10 in qualifying, 2 cars beside the Caterhams and Marussias should go out in Q1, hopefully it’ll be a bit more interesting!

    1. The two Toro Rossos will fill that two places in most races, I’m afraid. Really hope that there will be at least 24 cars on the grid in 2014.

  19. It also indicates that Nico Rosberg will use the number nine at Mercedes next year and new team mate Lewis Hamilton’s car will bear the number ten.

    That’s not really a surprise … or all that notable, to be honest. Teams traditionally give the leading number – in the case of Mercedes, the number 9 – to the driver who placed better in the previous World Championship, while incoming drivers like Hamilton typically get the second number. There are a few exceptions, of course, like when Mercedes gave Michael Schumacher the odd number in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

    Did anyone really think that Hamilton would get the number 9 next year? And did those same people think it would somehow be significant if he did? It’s just a number.

    1. Couldn’t agree more

    2. @prisoner-monkeys
      Lewis is a World champion though, traditionally out of respect they are given the lower number than the returning non champion team mate. This situation hadn’t happened for a long time though, 1995 was that previous time I think, Nigel Mansell took 9 and Hakkinen 10, 1994 Hakkinen had 7 and Brundle was 8. So it was normal that Schumacher had the lower number at Mercedes, not an exception. Actually the exception was Massa being given the lower number over Raikkonen in 2009.

      1. I forgot Massa 7 over Alonso 8 in 2010. Ferrari are the exception to the rule then ;-)

      2. @the-last-pope

        Lewis is a World champion though, traditionally out of respect they are given the lower number than the returning non champion team mate.
        No, they don’t.

        Teams are free to assign their numbers to their drivers as they choose (with the obvious exception being the World Champion getting the number 1). There is no tradition involved that applies to the entire grid – teams may have their own preferred way of doing things, but there was never anything to suggest that Hamilton would absolutely get the number 9, least off all because he is a former World Champion and Rosberg is not. In fact, I cannot recall the last time a former champion joining a new team was given the leading number simply because he had been a champion in the past. Yes, Mercedes gave Michael Schumacher the number 3 in 2010 despite Rosberg having joined the team first, and they gave him the number 7 in 2011 and 2012 despite Rosberg beating him in the World Championship standings, but that was not done “out of respect” for Schumacher’s titles. It was done because Michael Schumacher is deeply superstitious – he is one of the most superstitious drivers in the sport – and prefers to race with odd numbers.

        Lewis Hamilton might have beaten Nico Rosberg in the 2012 World Championship, but Nico Rosberg has been a part of Mercedes for three years, and Hamilton is only just joining them in 2013. Thus, Robserg gets the number 9 and Hamilton the number 10.

        1. @prisoner-monkeys

          I gave you one example in 1995. Another example is 1994. Senna taking the #2 (lower number than #0) over Hill. Looking further back though history there are examples of both, so I guess you are correct that each team has its own way and it depends on the situation. Niki Lauda’s return to F1 in 1982 being a higher number than John Watson, and Nelson Piquet’s higher number than Mansell in ’86 only 3 years after becoming a double champion. But back then with the different numbering system returning drivers were more likely to want to keep their number, Keke Rosberg’s wanting his #6 which he won the championship with and new driver Mansell taking his red 5. Talking about red number 5, 2013 we will once again see a British driver with a red number 5.

          1. @the-last-pope – There is no precedent in the sport whereby a former World Champion is automatically given the leading number when he joins a new team out of respect for his previous achievements. Citing a handful of examples proves absolutely nothing, because those handful of examples still form an overwhelming minority.

            Even if there was such a precedent, Mercedes would be under no obligations to observe it as teams are – and always have been – free to assign their numbers to their drivers as they see fit. Giving a driver the leading number does not automatically assure that driver the lead driver status.

            Evidently, you’re upset that Hamilton will be using the number 10 because you seem to think that more respect should be shown for his World Championship. But I doubt Lewis Hamilton cares much about it at all. It’s just the number that gets painted on the side of his car for the season, and is of no consequence to anything. It doesn’t make him any better or worse a driver. And for all you know, Mercedes asked him which number he wanted and Hamilton chose the number 10 for personal reasons.

          2. @prisoner-monkeys

            What?? Did you even read what I wrote? I said there are examples of both! the examples I gave proved me wrong, History basically says I was wrong so I wrote. “I guess you are correct that each team has its own way and it depends on the situation”.

            I am not upset, although if it was me in charge at Mercedes I would offer him the 9 out of respect, I would do the same for any champion. Why do you suddenly assume I am an upset Hamilton fanatic? Evidently? lol. Try reading a post properly next time.

    3. I see what you mean but, technically, it does provide a slight advantage in some (extreme) cases. For example, should it be impossible to have a qualifying practice, the cars would then be arranged on the grid in numerical order.

  20. Has anyone thought maybe since Grosjean isn’t on the list for Lotus is due to them maybe wanting another driver, I know he’s fast and most probably is going to be in the team next year but he does crash allot and that is probably quite expensive to crash allot, anyway I thought it would be awesome to have Heikki in the team partly because I don’t want to see him go and he is also a solid and reliable driver so maybe less accidents if you see what I mean plus it would also be the first all Finnish team in like forever(possibly?).

    1. @master-firelee

      Has anyone thought maybe since Grosjean isn’t on the list for Lotus is due to them maybe wanting another driver

      Gerard Lopez – who runs Genii Capital – has said that the team “has a decision to make” about their second driver, so they’re clearly considering replacing Grosjean.

      I thought it would be awesome to have Heikki in the team partly because I don’t want to see him go and he is also a solid and reliable driver

      Actually, it would be a horrible idea. There are faster drivers out there who are also available – like Kobayashi, Alguersuari and so on – and Kovalainen was beaten by Petrov this year. Lotus previously let go of Petrov because he wasn’t performing, so why would Lotus be inclined to take the driver who was beaten by the guy they passed on?

      Furthermore, they already have a Finnish driver in Raikkonen. Taking Kovalainen would seriously limit their ability and their new sponsor’s ability to promote themselves outside Finland.

    2. @master-firelee

      I was wondering the same thing about Grosjean. As PM said, clearly they are considering replacing him.

      Lotus is a very competative team so they should really be careful who they chose.

  21. Why is Kimi #7 instead of #5 despite finishing third in standings? Are the numbers based on constructors’ standings after top two drivers? This has always has confused me…

    1. They go by constructors’ standings period.

      1. No, they don’t.

        Jenson Button was the 2009 World Drivers’ Champion. Brawn GP was the 2009 World Constructors’ Champion. Button moved to McLaren, where he carried the number 1 in 2010, even though McLaren finished the season third overall. Because of this Mercedes – once they had bought out Brawn – got the numbers 3 and 4. Red Bull got the numbers 5 and 6, even though they would normally have been 3 and 4 themselves as they had finished second in the constructors’ standings. Ferrari finished fourth and got the numbers 7 and 8, as they were supposed to.

        1. Thanks. I’m reading this at 4am and it took a couple times but with your explanation I think I get it. :) I always assumed it was according to constructors’ only.

    2. FlyingLobster27
      2nd December 2012, 9:37

      Drivers’ champion gets number 1, his team-mate gets 2, no matter the team (Arrows got 1 & 2 in 1997…).
      All the other teams are numbered according the Constructors’ championship. If the Drivers’ champion retires, the Constructors’ champions can use 0 & 2 instead of 1 & 2 (Lotus used 1 & 2 in 1974, Williams used 0 & 2 in 1993 & 1994).

      1. FlyingLobster27
        2nd December 2012, 9:41

        And I add that that’s the system that’s been used since 1996. Prior to that (1974-1995), teams were classified according to the 1973 Constructors’ championship, with only the Drivers’ champion’s team exchanging their previous numbers with the 1 & 2 team.
        Which is how Ferrari famously ended up running the very high numbers 27 & 28 for so long: they were the reigning champions when Alan Jones won in 1980 for the relatively new Williams team, numbered 27 & 28.

  22. So what does that mean for Q1? will just the slowest 5 drivers be knocked out?

  23. Goodbye, HRT. *sniff* :(

  24. Why is everyone so sad about HRT leaving the grid? I’m sure the staff will actually find something that pays them better, as well as, brings them more pride and respect in their jobs.

    I always thought HRT didn’t belong in this sport and I think its good riddance to bad rubbish.

    Wonder how this affects Q1 of qualifying though?

    1. @todfod

      Wonder how this affects Q1 of qualifying though?

      Someone raised this question in the forums about a week ago. I’m pretty sure Keith pointed to a passage of the sporting regulations that says six cars will be eliminated in Q1 and six in Q2.

  25. I bit shame for the team but I guess it’s for the best as the team wasn’t going anywhere,it’s pointless competing in F1 if you can’t help yourself.

  26. Sigh, and so the HRT saga ends. I am sure a lot of people will be genuinely saddened by their exit. Maybe the owners of F1 should take a look at this and see what is going wrong. Any new team will need more support, support which was clearly not provided to the new three teams. Sure, they were banking on the RRA coming through which did not happen, but even then this situation should have been looked at. How many new teams have joined the sport in the last 10 years, how many have left. I doubt the days when private entrepreneurs could launch a team and hope to win, like the Tyrells, Tolemans etc… could ever return.
    Enough encouragement will have to be given even if it is a big car manufacturer to enter the sport. Only the management can provide this.

  27. Not happy about this, at all :( I’m not going to back a team just because they’re the back of the grid, but they had made progress in trying to capitalise on a Spanish identity in many ways. This year they managed to retain their two drivers they started with, started up a young driver programme and just generally appeared to be making progress.

    Such a shame, I’ll miss them.

  28. Kobayashi should be a good teammate to Kimi at Lotus, Kovalainen seams to slow now.

  29. Not good for F1 to lose teams, but I can’t say I’ll miss one so slow as HRT. I primarily will remember them for being rolling obstacles… one that might have killled Rosberg and might have decided the championship when Vettel clipped Karthikeyan, or was that vice-versa…

    It’s nice to see Marussia and Caterham seemingly in decent health and spirit and having ambitions for the future.

  30. This is Honda’s ticket back into Formula One.. If Honda buys them, they can just change the name from Hispania Racing Team (HRT) to Honda Racing Team (HRT). And start building the team from ground up again.

    1. @ra186e – You’re assuming they want to get back in immediately, though. One of Honda’s bosses recently said that they would like to come back, but he added that it won’t happen until Honda succeeds in the World Touring Car Championship. By that time (and assuming no-one else wants to enter Formula 1), control of HRT’s entry will have defaulted to the FIA (who already hold the thirteenth entry).

      1. That should be @ra168e

        1. @prisoner-monkeys – If they do manage to get back into Formula 1; I’m hoping that the new NSX would have some F1 tech in it like its previous version.

  31. I am Indian and in HRT two Indian drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok drove.It is sad for me…..I supported HRT

  32. Not at all bothered by HRT failing to make the grid. F1 has been going backwards for some years now with the grid being filled by no-hope teams and pay for seat drivers. I would much rather see a smaller grid with competitive teams and see some actual racing rather than a procession of blue flags telling the no hopers to get out of the way. Also, the number of rookies and pay for seat drivers should be limited by the FIA, the number of drivers who are actually deserving of a seat is declining every season to the never ending procession of rookies and drivers who bring big fat cheques with them.

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