The Hispania F111 was rolled out towards the end of the final test at Barcelona. It is a clear evolution of last years underdeveloped Dallara F110. Geoff Willis over saw the work of the teams Chief Designer Paul White. Whilst the livery comes from world renowned vehicle concept designer and visionary illustrator, Daniel Simon.
“Starting the programme to develop the F111 has been an enormous challenge” explain Willis. “The group of engineers working from many separate locations had to produce the 2011 HRT chassis to meet the new regulations, package the Williams LG14 transmission, design all new rear suspension to suit and develop a complete aero package. Given the tight time frame, I am very impressed with the result and the enormous efforts everyone has put in to achieve the objective. However we have to be realistic in our expectations of performance; this is very much a baseline car which the team must develop in 2011.“
The Dallara roots of the car are clear, with the upper section of the monocoque identical to the F110, as can be seen from the roll over structure and cockpit surround. The Compare the image above with the one below, it also appear that the upper side impact structures – mounted above the radiator ducts in the sidepod also remain unchanged. The sidepods themselves have been revised with much smaller openings albeit of similar shape.
The F111 (above) and F110 (below) roll over structures are identical as the F111 retains the top half of the Dallara chassis. This also means that the front suspension layout is also carried over from the Italian car.
What is new on the HRT as mentioned is the rear end, using the 2010 Williams gearbox, and a new rear wing. This has lead to a different rear suspension layout. At the front of the car the nose and front impact structure have been revised and a totally new front wing installed. However this initially failed its crash test so during the cars early running the 2010 Dallare nose was used.
Melbourne
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi)
Chassis: F111-03 (Karthikeyan)
Both HRT’s barely made it onto the track as they were still under construction, parts being flown out in the bags of team members and even TV commentator Christian Danner! Its no great shock that this untested version of the 2010 Dallara F11o failed to qualify. It is hard to see how this team will find the pace to get on the grid any time soon, rumours about financial instability continue.
Sepang
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi)
Chassis: F111-03 (Karthikeyan)
HRT Surprised many when its pair of highly modified Dallara’s made it onto the starting grid, complete with 2011 front wing.
Colin Kolles, Hispania Racing Team Principal: “We stopped both cars just to be safe. Narain’s car had very high water temperatures so we advised him to stop. Tonio was close to the finish the race and felt an unstable rear. We pitted the car twice to check the problem and found out that there was a damage on the rear wing so we decided to stop just for safety reasons. Overall it wasn’t a bad day considering this was our first proper race and our first chance to test the car in a race situation. There were no major issues so we need to try and improve for the next race in China where we hope to finish. Our lap times were not bad compared to the front runners, this shows there is some light at the end of the tunnel.”
Shanghai
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi)
Chassis: F111-03 (Karthikeyan)
Colin Kolles, Hispania Racing Team Principal: “We reached our target, which was to finish the race. We planned a one stop strategy for today. Narain went for this strategy but Tonio had a drive-through penalty for a jump start and lost some positions so we switched to a two stop strategy with him. Tonio’s times were impressive at the end, he was doing similar times to the middle of the field which is positive”. “All in all, we had a normal weekend where we did a lot of miles and the improvement of the car is visible. We had no technical issues and both drivers did a good race so we’re happy with the weekend. The aerodynamic and mechanical upgrades for Turkey will put us closer to the field.”
Hispania introduced a new engine cover on chassis 2 for the race (above), dropping the fin and revising the rear cooling outlet. The old version was run on chassis 3 throughout the weekend (below)
Istanbul
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi)
Chassis: F111-03 (Karthikeyan)
Colin Kolles, Hispania Racing Team Principal: “The race was not as we expected because we faced some unpredicted problems with the tyres during the pit stop. The wheel gun seems to have not worked properly on Liuzzi’s car resulting in the loss of a wheel nut. We had to do more stops also to make sure that it was safe to continue running.” “All in all without these problems we could have achieved a better result. Narain’s lap times were a good sign, showing that our performance has improved. We will have a major update for Barcelona which should put us closer to our competitors. It is our home race and if all the upgrades bring the improvement in lap times that we expect then we will have a better weekend”.
Hispania had a number of detail updates in the area around the cockpit on the F111 (above). The wing mirror shape has been revised, the turning vane has gained a vent and is less curved whilst the bodywork ahead of the cockpit has minor change. Compare with the old version (below)
Barcelona
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi) Q: 21 R: DNF
Chassis: F111-03 (Karthikeyan) Q: 22 R: 21
Despite another disappointing weekend, HRT are bringing updates to the F111, using free practice to run different packages on chassis 02 and 03. Collin Kolles, Team Principal: “Tonio started the race very well, he was in a good position, improving lap by lap and creating a bigger gap with the cars behind him. Unfortunately, after the first pit stop, we noticed that the gear box wasn’t running properly so we had to change the gearbox mode. We started losing pressure and had to stop due to a gearbox failure. We don’t know what happened on Narain’s car, we will have to look into it and assess the situation but getting over the finish line is positive. Tonio’s start to the race is proof that we have made the next step and can compete with our closest rivals on the track”.
Monaco
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi) Q: DNS R: 16
Chassis: F111-03 (Karthikeyan) Q: DNS R: 17
Hispania had a troubled weekend, with both cars failing to qualify due to mechanical problems, however, the stewards allowed the cars to race based on their practice times. Colin Kolles, Hispania Racing Team Principal: “It has been a very tough weekend for the team but everybody worked very hard to achieve the best possible result under the circumstances. We suffered the whole weekend with balance problems and, due to the reduced amount of running, were not able to get the best out of the car. Both drivers finished the race though, which is very important. No we must look ahead to Canada where we’re planning to introduce new updates which should improve the performance of the car”.
©2011 WRI2. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: www.wri2.net
By Monaco the F111 had grown a new winglet above the lower beam wing, and the rather baisc exhaust layout was mildly revised.
Montreal
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi) Q: 21 R: 13
Chassis: F111-03 (Karthikeyan) Q: 23 R: 17
Hispania brought a number of upgrades to Canada, including a new rear wing and diffuser and exhaust package. The overall result being a more balance package that the drivers were more comfortable with. The end result was a qualifying position ahead of Virgin and the teams best race result to date with Liuzzi in 13th.
Colin Kolles, Hispania Racing Team Principal: “Today we achieved our best result in the history of Hispania Racing. It was a great race with a positive ending for the team. We made a step forward in terms of performance and in the championship position. The team is working very hard and it is a deserved result. The drivers did a very good job driving more aggressively after the track was drying up. We will have to improve further and target the 10th position in the championship. I am very thankful and happy for all the team members who are working very hard to move the team forward .I want to also thank the suppliers supporting us.”
A revised exhaust position was run at Montreal, with the outlets moved from the rear of the car (see Monaco) to the sidepods in a crude exhaust blown diffuser layout. Note the ‘surprise’ sticker above the outlet. The composite panel behind the outlet is coated in a black ceramic thermal barrier.
Valencia
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi) Q: 21 R: 22
Chassis: F111-03 (Karthikeyan) Q: 23 R: 24
Colin Kolles, Hispania Racing Team Principal: “We struggled the whole weekend with the tyres, especially on the rear end of the car. We had to go for a three stop strategy since the wear of the tyres was too high; our main competitors were on two stops. The pace overall was good but due to the additional stop we could not gain positions. We have to work hard, especially in improving the aero and the rear end of the car, in order to reach our targets for the championship”.
Silverstone
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi) Q: 23 R: 18
Chassis: F111-03 (Ricciardo) Q: 24 R: 19
Colin Kolles, Hispania Racing Team Principal:“The race for us was quite good because we had a good strategy and did good pit stops. Obviously our cars are not as quick as other cars; this is a little bit unfortunate. Otherwise we could show that we would’ve been much more competitive. The target was to finish the race with both cars, which we did, and both drivers could do some good lap times”. “Daniel was struggling a little bit with the rear tyres towards the end and therefore lost a little bit of ground on Tonio and the others. But, all in all, it was quite positive with no major dramas. Daniel did his laps and finished the race, his quickest lap time was quite a good one and the problem was that he was struggling with the tyres. He has to get used to the tyres obviously, this isn’t too easy when you’ve started just one race with new tyres and the others have already thousands of kilometres under their belts”. “This circuit was definitely not good for our car, there were difficult weather conditions, then there was the exhaust discussion which was not in our favour because we have a little bit of a different exhaust, so, all in all, this did not help but, in the end, it was positive because the team worked well and that is important”.
Nurburgring
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi) Q:23 R:DNF
Chassis: F111-03 (Ricciardo) Q:24 R:19
Daniel Racciardo had a sucessful (in relative terms) first F1 drive fiishing in 19th position, however Liuzzi retired with an electrical fault.
Colin Kolles, Hispania Racing Team Principal:“Of course I would have preferred a two car finish. Tonio had a good race despite brake problems at the start, but was able to maintain a good distance to Heikki Kovalainen. He retired just before two-thirds distance because of an electrical failure. It was a real pity because the team had taken all precautions during the weekend and had a good pace in the race. The pit stops went smoothly”. “On a positive note, Daniel has completed his second solid race in a row. He is making good progress”.
Hungaroring
Chassis: F111-02 (Liuzzi) Q:22 R:20
Chassis: F111-03 (Ricciardo) Q:23 R:18
Colin Kolles (Team Principal): “Hungary is traditionally a long race, this time even more tricky in changeable conditions. It was important to be on the track until the end. Liuzzi had a problem in the early stages which moved him from 21st to the back of the field. The pit stops all went smoothly, unfortunatelly Tonio had more pit stops and a nose change. Overall a difficult race where rain arrived on several occasions but we maintained a good pace throughout the race. On a positive note, Daniel Ricciardo had his best result so far in a race and it was his third solid race in a row. He is a fast learner. We are looking for new updates for the fast tracks in Spa and Monza which require a different aerodynamic configuration”.
At the Hungaroring the team fitted a revised front wing with a different upper element (above). Compare with the standard version (below)
The original version was a repainted Dallara part (below)
