Mystery driver change leaves many questions
Two seconds slower than Virgin. That was Hispania’s race pace during the British Grand Prix which saw Bruno Senna mysteriously dropped for reserve driver Sakon Yamamoto…for one race only.
Why they did this, nobody really knows, but both Yamamoto and Karun Chandhok spent the afternoon running (well more walking in Formula 1 terms!) at the back of the field with nobody to race but each other.
After managing to keep up with Virgin Racing in the last few grand prix, Silverstone saw Richard Branson’s team pull away from Hispania with small upgrades for their car. This and the fact that Silverstone is a track which relies on aerodynamics, something the Spanish cars don’t seem to have much of.
If the 107% qualifying rule (where drivers must be within 107% of the pole sitter’s time) had come back into use this season rather than next year, Sakon Yamamoto would have failed to qualify.
However this was unsurprising as it was his first race in two and a half years and the stresses of driving a Formula 1 car in anger again were evident on the Japanese driver during qualifying as his head lolled all over the place, especially during the new Arena section.
Nevertheless he was delighted to get his chance.
“It was a good experience for me to race in Formula 1 again. I could improve all over the weekend and got a better feeling for the car. I want to thank the team for giving me the chance to race here in Silverstone. I was able to show that I am prepared to be back in the cockpit and, whenever I’ll get the opportunity to race again, I will take it. I also want to thank my, fans who always supported me over the years. It was a very special and exciting weekend for me.”
However the biggest mystery of the weekend remains Senna’s sudden drop from the team, but for one race only. With no explanation from the Brazilian or the team it means plenty of head scratching for those outside Hispania as they try to work out why such a decision was made.
This, and the car’s least competitive showing in recent races hasn’t done much to Hispania’s credibility.
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Perhaps I may be the only one noticing but Karun Chandhok to me has been the most successful Hispania driver and also his interviews give a great support to Hispania’s debut season. I feel that he should be given another drive with the team and I feel that his persona will certainly develop more interest with sponsors. Whilst nobody expects a podium or even points for that matter, Hispania are giving great entertainment to a grand prix which I enjoy and look forward to seeing their first win. Keep up the good work