http://www.autosport.com/news/grapevine.php/id/89034


I think this has real potential! Hopefully he'll pull off something awesome would be good to see something totally off the wall! Although out of all the news that could come out of HRT this isn't that big, what's goin on over there!?

It's already appeared in the Hispania thread, but very cool sounding nonetheless.

It'd be better IMO if they focussed on building a competitive car rather than a new 'corporate image'. But then maybe they figure there's not much chance for an increase in on-track performance so they'll stick to the sizzle rather than the steak. Back-markers...

Was thinking the same, 'HRT Recruit Engineer' would make a more welcome headline.

Add "HRT recruit Nick Heidfeld/Christian Klien/Nico Hülkenberg/any reasonable non-pay driver except Liuzzi" to that, too!

I thought it was a pretty cool thing that'd be of interest to noN HRT fans that don't follow the HRT thread

Not bad those seductive drawings.

So now HRT should have the nicest looking cars on the grid, and also the slowest so fans will be able appreciate its beauty as it passes by the stands.

+1 spot on

I can see the logic...

Better Corporate Image = More Sponsors.
More Sponsors = More Money.

REPEAT
More Money = Better Drivers (and Car!).
Better Drivers = Higher Finishing Position.
Higher Finishing Position = Better TV Revenue.
Better TV Revenue = More Money.

UNTIL Finishing Position = 1.

All about $$$.

i've now got the oddest image of yamamoto winning the wdc in a hrt in my head. And of Eddie Jordan claiming that Kolles is the master.

That would be both amazing and the death of F1 at the same time... Maybe this is the 2012 end of world prophecy?

Well - That really will make the cars competetive won't it.....

What, exactly, is he supposed to do? I mean, "corporate designer" is kind of vague.

haha

Sounds like they'll spend thousands getting a new logo.

And new livery. It must make some difference to potential sponsors what the car they could be sticking their logos on looks like!?!

Well, I figure maybe he'll do the livery and the merchandise as well as the motorhome caravan. He might also do the garage as well; a lot of teams go for an individual look within the pits, like when Brawn GP had JENSON and RUBENS in big, bold letters surrounded by the team's fluro-yellow outline on white panels.

But sponsors ideally want a car in their own corporate colours, not just incorporated into some random design.

If Hispania know who their sponsors are, they can tell Simon "Okay, we'd like you to design our livery for us, and it has to be in these colours because they're the colours of our sponsors".

True, but that is reliant on them actually having a title sponsor this year.

Potential for what? If it's not going to make the car faster then its a complete waste of time and money.

'HRT build car that consists of more than just Williams gearbox' would be a start.

Aye, third down on the right..shawing.

Wait, are you telling us that go faster stripes don't make you go faster?

Should be great for sponsors.

And most sponsors would quite like a car that won't only be seen on TV when it is being lapped - though of course that will probably happen quite a lot.

Another reason for these teams to be kicked out of F1.

Well, they obviously feel they have one, or that they will. But even if they don't get a title sponsor, they can just do what they did in 2010 and paint the car any colours they like before sticking sponsor decals on.


Why, because they hired a guy to give their team and their livery an overhaul? Just because he's from Hollywood doesn't mean he's inept. Okay, so the guy isn't on the same level as Ken Adam, but I see nothing in this that means Hispania should be kicked out of the sport. Team hire logo developers or the time, or haven't you seen Ferrari's new logo? Should Ferrari be kicked out of the sport because they hired somebody to change their logo and give them a new image?

I think what brings more sponsors is the time team's cars are shown during the broadcast, and for that good car is needed. Not the livery. I don't want to criticize though, cause some corporate identity is needed when you want to be proffesional. Question is what sould come first. Oh wait, this is no brainer here...

Showing yourself to be a professional outfit certainly can't hurt. And as has been said, the several thousand dollars Hispania spend on Simon's employment aren't going to mean Hispania cannot compete with Virgin and Lotus if that money had been directed elsewhere.

I guess you are right, but somehow it reminds me of Toyota's talk about signing top drivers which turned out to be BS. I know, this is not the same, just a thought.

Well, technically they signed a driver who thought he was a top driver ...

Sorry guys, this sounds like an awful lot of noise with no output.
To qoute Yozza from the Boys in the Blackstuff,
"Gizza a job, I can do that".
And I can, and I am a LOT CHEAPER!

Reminds me Eifelland and their funny designer...

I'm sure that Simon is more than capable for job. But pRy was talking about the fact that it could be kind of unnerving for some followers of the sport that a team that hasn't came up with a solid plan of survival (that we have heard of at moment) and that is resorting to drivers like Karthikeyan haven't shown any sign of infrastructure development but has came up with with a new livery and identity plan.

A new identity was needed? Sure, current is awful.
Is there a problem in hiring Simon? Surely not, anything less than amazing will be disappointing.
Is this the right moment for this kind of news to be released? I doubt it.

Because if you are a really serious prospect and want to be taken equally seriously, you must do your best to not sound like only talking bullshit. Announcing Williams partnership was a good example. Loosing Toyota was a terrible one. Karthikeyan was another step back. The fact that they are probably updating the F110 is another terrible piece of news. And besides all of this, we haven't heard anything concrete about the team's funding.

And even if they have a solid backing now, announcing anything related to the livery before talking about a revamp in the team structure will just make they sound like a farce.

whats the problem, they could either be slow and look ugly, or be slow and look good for sponsors and get more money and then try and do something about the performance

The fact that they are probably updating the F110 is another terrible piece of news. - HRT/Kolles stated months ago that hey will be producing a brand new car, the F110 would/cant meet the 2011 regs.


And besides all of this, we haven't heard anything concrete about the team's funding. - We don't really here other teams actually mention they have secured the own funding? If karthikeyan is bringing $12-$15 million dollars, that is reportedly more than Senna and Chandock brought to HRT last year.

just wow

Two things:
- Kolles' word means shit to me.
- They don't have facilities to entirely build their cars. Or Kolles is subcontracting other company or they are updating the existing tube.


This my colleague forum member has some relation to the fact that those teams will KEEP their existing sponsors.
And those that didn't have kept their sponsors announced at least some few newer deals, for instance:
- Williams: Venezuela
- Renault: Group Lotus
- Sauber: Telmex
- Vigin: Marussia

You may argue that with Karthikeyan HRT has Tata now.
Great for them! But all the team that I've listed above actually have a structured HQ.
They have employees with know-how.
They have proved that they are able to produce F1 cars.

Hispania haven't updated a single flap of the front wing on it's entirely existence.
Hell, USF1 has produced more than this team.


If...
The whole problem is that this is not enough. It's basically a new operation starting almost from zero.
It's good to hear about money being inject into the team.
It's good to hear that they will drop the Xtrac and use Williams' rear end.
But when you also hear the same Colin Kolles speaking about things like "We didn't beat Lotus ONLY because of our drivers" you know that something fishy is going on there.

And again, even if I'm completely wrong, even if they're really ok, doing this kind of announcement is bad management.
Or we would not be here saying this is BS!

There's a reason for the HRT thread being the biggest one of the new teams last year, it's because of the amont of lies, rumors and disinformation that came mainly from inside the team last year.

That's all well and good, but Hispania need to concentrate on the short-term right now. I think that coming up with a new corporate identity is a means to an end. It might not buy them a tenth of a second here and there, but one thing it can do is shake off the image of being underprepared and out of their depth. If you were considering investing in the team and your investment could contribute - at least in part - to a stable future, would you be interested in a) a team of uncoordinated rabble, or b) an underfunded team that has taken pains to be a model of professionalism? Hispania no doubt feel that if they have a new corporate skin for 2011, they'll be able to attract more interest and more investment and there will come a future where they can have infrastructure and they won't have to resort to the likes of Karthikeyan.

Nice to know HRT is spending their money in the "right" places

Behave the 107% rule.

Anyway I always wanted to know how Hollywood cars would behave in the track, specially the Batmobiles.

Daniel Simon isn't a production desiger. He works in the art department.

Yes but at least HRT's guy is only going to design the "corporate image" of the car - Team Eifelland let Luigi Colani design the car (or to be more accurate, butcher a March 721) to produce this:


"The earth is round, all the heavenly bodies are round; they all move on round or elliptical orbits. This same image of circular globe-shaped mini worlds orbiting around each other follows us right down to the microcosmos. We are even aroused by round forms in species propagation related eroticism. Why should I join the straying mass who want to make everything angular? I am going to pursue Galileo Galilei's philosophy: my world is also round." Luigi Colani. With a design philosophy like that, who needs aerodynamics?

That car looks like the water slide from wet and wild. I feel sorry for the poor sod who had to drive it

At least the cars will look nice parked in the garage having just failed to qualify.

http://www.hispaniaf1team.com/en/gallery/c...25-the-new-f111 the new car

Nice livery, no sponsors other than Tata though?

If he was paid they should get their money back - it's ugly!

I especially like the way the car’s decals so far as THIS COULD BE YOU and YOUR LOGO HERE and THIS IS A COOL SPOT. Part of me hopes they race like that, not because they won’t have a sponsor to their credit, but because it would be a delightful (albeit unintentional) parody of commercialism in the sport.