HRT say Bruno Senna will return to drive for the team after replacing him with Sakon Yamamoto for the British Grand Prix.
However the team has not explained why it has replaced Senna for this race, amid rumours they’ve run Yamamoto to bring in more money from sponsorship.
In a statement the team said:
HRT F1 Team has decided to give an opportunity to one of its four drivers, Sakon Yamamoto, for this race, the British Grand Prix.
In respect to the rumors about Bruno Senna’s current states with Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team, the team wants to confirm that Bruno Senna has all the support of the Spanish team, that he remains one of the Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team official drivers and that he will be continuing to drive in the remaining races of the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship.
At the end of second practice today Yamamoto was 1.284 seconds slower than regular driver Karun Chandhok.
Read more: Sakon Yamamoto to replace Bruno Senna at HRT at Silverstone
Image (C) Motioncompany
Todfod
9th July 2010, 18:45
I’m trying to figure out what is worse – HRT’s car or HRT’s management.
Yamamoto got a nice birthday present though, and hopefully Chandhok gives him one on raceday by lapping him.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
9th July 2010, 20:10
Hopefully!
wasiF1
10th July 2010, 2:43
I agree with the fact that it was Yamamoto’s birthday so they gave him a present. What would have happened if it were on December like my one?
Anshumaan
10th July 2010, 4:39
bruno would have been kicked out??
djdaveyp
9th July 2010, 18:45
Good. (Too Short, but it’s all in the word!)
Jonathan
9th July 2010, 18:46
HRT is doing Senna more harm than good.
miguelF1O (@)
9th July 2010, 19:58
senna is a paid driver sometimes there are funding problems maybe hes sponsor was short on money and yamamotos father wanted his son to have a nice birthday senna is slow but its impossible for a new driver to be fighting with the regular one on race 1
Mike
10th July 2010, 11:07
Sakon isn’t “new”. I think I remember him in a spyker.
David
9th July 2010, 18:57
I read on another site that it’s Yamamoto’s 28th birthday present from the team. That’s sweet, if true. Now we can ponder as to why Senna was replaced and not Chandhok…
BasCB
9th July 2010, 19:44
According to Adam Cooper, he was told by insiders in the team that there was some kind of dispute between Senna and Kolles, but it was not about money nor performance factors.
My speculation is, it might have something to do with contracts for next year. Or maybe Senna refused to make place for Yamamoto in one session and was punished like this?
I feel there’s a bigger story there.
Also Cooper pointed out, that the other Senna had a similar incident with Toleman in 1984!
PT (@pt)
12th July 2010, 7:00
Really? I’d like more details about the 1984 Toleman incident.
miguelF1O (@)
9th July 2010, 20:01
senna probably is slower than chandok telemetry shows the team which driver is fastest more efficient on accelarating and braking and other stuff or it may be a sponsorship related decision cause chandok is indian so he speaks english and he worked at silverstone too so it is the closest to an home gp for him really hrt should rethink their line-up
Dennoow
11th July 2010, 11:11
Yeah they shouldn’t have let 2 rookies in their car to begin with. Especially Chandhok, he’s not doing too bad but he didn’t have any right to be in that seat. Senna is faster the majority of times though.
Tom L.
9th July 2010, 21:27
I thought that might have been the reason… You can imagine the situation:
Yamamoto: “You know, it’s my birthday today! You didn’t forget, did you?”
Kolles: “Er… no… of course not! Here, drive Karun’s car this weekend! We just… er… wanted it to be a surprise so we didn’t tell anyone! (slips Chandhok a fiver) Ssshhh!”
Ecclestone: “Erm, I think you mean Bruno’s car?” (slips Kolles a fiver)
Kolles: “Er… yeah, yeah, I meant Bruno’s car!”
Senna: “What??!”
Chandhok: (smug smile)
TexAgF1
10th July 2010, 4:22
This it the truth!!
Craig
9th July 2010, 19:12
It’s likely nothing more than Yamamoto being allowed to run a race or two because he has brought in some money. Could I risk a guess at him also racing in Japan?
The silly games in today high stakes sports. I’m sure we are all used to this by now.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
9th July 2010, 20:09
Well if they live up to that statement, it says that Senna will race the remaining races of the season, so if Yamamoto does race in Japan it would probably be at Chandhok’s expense.
BasCB
9th July 2010, 20:14
I suppose one of the reasons for replacing Senna rather than Chandhok might have been the new sponsor Jaypee (promotor of the Indian GP in 2012 as well) on their cars from the British GP onwards.
http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=41355
sato113 (@sato113)
9th July 2010, 20:19
let’s reserve judgement of yamamoto til after the race. i can’t remember his last appearances so can’t judge yet.
Nitpicker
9th July 2010, 21:33
No-one can remember his last appearances, that’s the problem.
UneedAFinn2Win
9th July 2010, 21:17
Bottom line:
It doesn’t really matter who drives the car since it has become painfully obvious they are in a hole too deep to climb out of without any resources to develop the car that was a turkey to begin with. Besides, it’s not as if changing drivers is a new thing in the sport, as a matter of fact I don’t remember a year when all those who started the year were there by the end.
Tom L.
9th July 2010, 21:31
Well in 2008 the only two drivers who didn’t see out the season were Sato and Davidson for Super Aguri – no team changed driver at any point in the season.
UneedAFinn2Win
9th July 2010, 22:17
Davidson went to Honda, Sato tried for Toro Rosso…
Bleu
10th July 2010, 7:47
2002 had same thing but Arrows was gone. Frentzen and Davidson replaced Massa and Yoong for a while, but original drivers were back later on.
2000 had same drivers everywhere except that Burti replaced Irvine in Austria.
Nitpicker
9th July 2010, 21:34
I take it UneedAFinn2Win is not a member of HRT’s press team.
Mike "the bike" Schumacher
9th July 2010, 21:21
In Murray Walkers words ‘absoooolllluuuutellly Fannnntasssticccc!!!!!’
Catalina ;)
9th July 2010, 21:38
In GPUPDATE: “Hearsay states that a failed payment from a sponsor may be the reason for Senna’s brief absence.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th July 2010, 0:02
I don’t care what failed pop groups think about the situation.
Sush Meerkat
9th July 2010, 21:39
What disgusting news, hopefully Sakon shows the true potential of the HRT to shut up all the Senna fanboys, GO ON SAKON!
Honestly, not bothered either way, I just wish the HRT racing team the best.
alejandro
9th July 2010, 22:21
James Allen on his blog mentioned a “disciplinary angle” to the change in driver, but hasn’t been able to elaborate thus far… any thoughts Keith?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th July 2010, 0:03
I’d be surprised if there’s anything other than money at the heart of this. It might be dressed up as a “disciplinary” thing but the bottom line will be cash.
alejandro
10th July 2010, 1:10
maybe the disciplinary action is aimed at the sponsors then…
Burnout
10th July 2010, 6:45
Off topic, but isn’t it convenient for HRT that all three drivers who have raced/will race for them have five-letter first names?
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
10th July 2010, 9:08
The plot thickens: Senna says it was an internal decision. Yamamoto says he’ll talk to Senna. Kolles says it’s not money-related.
I find it significant that Hispania point out that there are four drivers in the team. Could we be seeing Klien in a race seat soon? I would think they’d replace Chandhok to make it even between their drivers, but Chandhok has brought a new sponsor to the team: the Jaypee Group (owners of the new Jaypee Group Circuit in India). Perhaps once Jaypee have been with the team wor a while, they’ll give Klein a run.
To what end, I don’t know – but perhaps they’re evaluating team line-ups for 2011?
Mike
10th July 2010, 11:18
Klien is clearly the team’s strongest driver, with Senna and Chandok pretty much together in the Middle, and Sakon on the bottom.
If it isn’t money involved, Then it would be Klien in the seat. Even if Sakon can match the other two drivers, Klien is quicker again, I just can’t see Sakon improving like that.
P. Rippon
10th July 2010, 17:01
If they are still around for 2011!!
James
10th July 2010, 14:24
There is a rumour doing the rounds that Senna was dropped on disciplinary grounds. I cant see what it would be for if this is the case, Senna is probably one of better behaved drivers on the grid. Very confusing times.
BasCB (@bascb)
10th July 2010, 22:08
So the HRT car now has the two sponsors from Senna, and it has Yajpee, “Ermis” don’t know what they are. I saw PANDA on the Sakon/Bruno car as well in pictures.
Maybe that’s Yamomoto’s sponsor?
Anshumaan
15th July 2010, 11:31
1 of them is Jaypee..they are the one’s building the track fr indian gp..so u know who brought them and dunno about the other