The back markers of Formula One

Just as some teams are fighting for podium finishes, there are some who are working hard to ensure they qualify and last the entire race without any problems.

Some call them the Back Markers; we call them the “Twins of Formula One.”

Hispania racing Team:

The only Spanish team to race in Formula One, Hispania Racing Team [HRT] are still suffering as they are in their third season in F1.The Thesan Capital backed team has assembled the car in a hurry and their only priority now is to qualify and participate in the races.

Driven by Narain and Pedro De la Rosa, the team could not qualify the 107% rule in Qualifying Session of opening race in Albert Park. They failed their FIA mandatory crash test and hence had to skip the Pre-Season Testing. It has become a habit for them to skip these tests, during which the other teams tune and maximise the performance of their cars.

When asked about the issues in their car, their team principal replied “We have issues with power steering, DRS, Engine, Cooling etc”. Is there anything left out?

The mid season testing at Mugello, will be crucial for all the teams to test and tune their innovative / copied designs. But looking at the current situation, HRT is unlikely to improve their form to the extent of challenging other teams.

Disabled by financial constraints and absence of technical experts, they struggle to improve. They need to sit back and discuss their financial constraints.

After that they need to do some Shopping!!

Buying Engineers and experts from the field, deals with companies to borrow their facilities and labs is the pre-requisite to build a strong foundation. A systematic approach with strict deadlines can enable them to attend next year’s Pre Season testing. They should use this season solely to gather a database based on which the next car can be built on.

Marussia F1 Team:

Marussia, initially a team partner to Virgin racing, purchased a controlling stake in the team. They are based in Banbury, United Kingdom.

Led by Technical Consultant Pat Symonds, Marussia had a 60% scale model of their 2012 car ready by September 2011. Ahead of the Season, they decided not to have KERS for the entire season.

Several delays and failing to clear the FIA mandatory crash tests postponed their launch and had to skip the Pre-Testing Season. Their lead driver Timo Glock secured 14^th and 17^th places, whereas the debutant driver Charles Pic finished 15^th and 20^th in the two races.

Their partnership with McLaren applied Technologies seems to be working out well.

Before Formula One enters Russia, the team needs to build a solid foundation and bring positive results.

Finishing last in the previous two seasons, the team has the best start ever this season. To continue their good form, they need to introduce new updates during Mugello test and effectively tune them to improve their performance.

Hiring experts from the paddock to lead and design their car, building more collaboration, creating research labs etc can take their level to greater heights. This requires a great deal of money, but it should make sense as they could apply the same technology to the supercars they manufacture.

Currently, they are ahead of the HRT’s, the Cateram’s and a Renault and also a Ferrari. With smart strategies and weather in their favour, either of them can grab a point or two.

They are always criticized by top teams, but you never know, some guy like Newey may be a part of their team and can change the course of the game.

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