HRT’s 2011 car will be upgraded ahead of the Spanish grand prix in May, team owner Jose Ramon Carabante has revealed.
The news is noteworthy given that the struggling Spanish team went through its entire debut season in 2010 without updating its car — not even for the unique Monaco race that usually requires special wings.
But amid the latest rumours of financial strife and engineers walking away, Carabante told the Spanish daily Marca that "We plan to have a serious aerodynamic package in Barcelona prepared by Geoff Willis".
He also insisted that even though the F111 was not tested in the winter due to parts delays, "the two cars are going to be on the grid in Australia".
"Give us a break is the only thing we ask. We will take the name of Spain all over the world with pride," said Carabante.
"This year we did the car ourselves. The Dallara chassis last year was not as reliable as it should have been and the F111 is totally knew.
"We said we would, and we did, gaining credibility," he insisted.