*Listening to INXS – Mystify*
It’s not uncommon to see new Formula One teams struggle to pick up the pace in their first full season. To cut it with the best in the business straight away would be a very tough ask.
Running before you can walk is a mistake many new teams have made in the past, and no doubt Lotus, Virgin and HRT are determined not to make that same mistake and continue with their development strategies to assert themselves as established F1 competitors.
Admittedly they haven’t moved forward as quickly as they might have liked this season, a season in which they have ultimately propped up the back of the field. But the ban on testing hasn’t exactly helped their cause.
Finance is usually the biggest stumbling block for new outfits, and one might think this is why Hispania have swapped their drivers of late as they struggle for sponsorship funds.
On their books they have four drivers with Karun Chandhok, Bruno Senna, Sakon Yamamoto and the impressive Christian Klien all on the payroll, and the team say they want to check out all their drivers in race conditions to assess their competitiveness for race seats in 2011.
Employing two more drivers than is necessary in the current climate has without doubt created more problems than is needed, with their wages contributing to what is reported to be a negative balance sheet.
Having said that it isn’t out of the ordinary for new teams to change drivers during the course of a season, and I’ve seen many teams enter with the hopes of F1 glory only to have their dreams dashed.
