HRT and Marussia have left it pretty late, releasing their F1 2012 racers with just 11 days to go.
Marussia unveiled their MR01 at the Silverstone track before giving the car a shakedown, it's testing debut. Meanwhile the attempt to be an "all Spanish" team led to HRT unveiling their car in Barcelona, before giving it a test during a filming day.
Both the HRT and the Marussia avoid the stepped front wing, or though the HRT does have a slight and subtle step, which has caused so much controversy. The Marussia MR01 failed the last of the mandatory FIA crash tests that allows you to test your car, so they missed all of the winter tests. The car has a sharp, sloping nose which slightly resembles the Mclaren MP4-27 's while the overall car design is 'best be described as a significant evolution of its predecessors.' The Marussia's livery keeps in line with the Red and Black they had last year, but with a sharper and more aggressive feel.
We are very pleased to be running the new MR01 for the first time this morning," said team boss John Booth. He continued, saying "It has been a long and frustrating wait for everyone in the team but we can now get back on track - literally - and start working towards the first race of the season in Australia next weekend. Today is the first of two promotional events, so while the drivers will be able to get a feel for the car, they won't be able to draw any real conclusions until we start running in anger in Melbourne. Nevertheless, this is an important day for us and we'll enjoy every minute on track with the new car."
It will surely be an uphill struggle for the team, after missing out on the testing, development and data gathering the other teams have experienced. HRT have done no better, but their livery is slightly more appealing on the eye. The HRT F112 completed its first lap of the season at the Barcelona track, taking advantage of filming day regulations to test the Pirelli rubber and shake down the car. Narain Karthikeyan drove the car while Pedro De La Rosa will have to wait until Australia.
You have to wonder though, how many seasons can HRT keep this up until we start having serious doubts over their future in the sport?
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| (c) HRT F1 Team |
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| (c) Marussia F1 Team |
We are very pleased to be running the new MR01 for the first time this morning," said team boss John Booth. He continued, saying "It has been a long and frustrating wait for everyone in the team but we can now get back on track - literally - and start working towards the first race of the season in Australia next weekend. Today is the first of two promotional events, so while the drivers will be able to get a feel for the car, they won't be able to draw any real conclusions until we start running in anger in Melbourne. Nevertheless, this is an important day for us and we'll enjoy every minute on track with the new car."
It will surely be an uphill struggle for the team, after missing out on the testing, development and data gathering the other teams have experienced. HRT have done no better, but their livery is slightly more appealing on the eye. The HRT F112 completed its first lap of the season at the Barcelona track, taking advantage of filming day regulations to test the Pirelli rubber and shake down the car. Narain Karthikeyan drove the car while Pedro De La Rosa will have to wait until Australia.
You have to wonder though, how many seasons can HRT keep this up until we start having serious doubts over their future in the sport?
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