Mat Coch writes:

HRT is a brand new team, that's the claim of its drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro De la Rosa, who suggest that so much has changed at the team that it's now unrecognisable from where it was just twelve months ago.

This time last year the team arrived in Melbourne with a car it claimed was brand new, though in reality proved to be the 2010 model 'reheated'. For 2012 the team does have a brand new car, the power steering being the only carry over.

"That is the real challenge coming here because if you look at other teams, stronger teams, they are not new cars," de la Rosa said. "You can talk about the stepped nose but most cars are just evolutions from last year. And they've had a proper pre-season testing! Imagine for us, coming with a new team - not only a new car, new team, new mechanics, new engineers."

The F112 arrived late, a result of the development only getting underway in September. It then failed the mandatory FIA crash tests, delaying its track debut. "It's very, very common," de la Rosa assures. "It's not unusual to fail one or two crash tests. All the top teams do that."

A change in ownership has also meant a change in management, as well a cash injection. It's allowed the team to put together an upgrade programme for the first time in its history. Come Barcelona, at the start of the European season, the team is expecting a 'big' step in performance, ahead of an even bigger improvement next season.

For the moment however Marussia remains its nearest rivals, while it is unclear just how far ahead Caterham has leapt. To start with, the focus is simply on getting the car running - a handful of shakedown laps on a shortened Barcelona circuit hardly constituting a pre-season. "We have to use this first Grand Prix as a big test session for us," de la Rosa admitted.

It's still far from plain sailing however. As darkness fell over the Albert Park circuit on the eve of the 2012 season there were still question marks over whether the Spaniard's car would even be ready for first practice. Critical components had not yet arrived, and while the media was assured they were en route there was a chance de la Rosa would be forced to sit out the opening session.

"We knew that this was going to be the case going in to the first race," he admitted. "Except for these two or three components that are missing the car is fully ready. It looks likely that we will start tomorrow, but we always have to be realistic that if there's a delay on a flight or whatever then we could actually end up missing Practice 1."

All in all the signs are brighter from the far end of the pit lane. The team is actively consolidating itself in Madrid while Karthikeyan assures Pitpass that "there's no comparison" with the team's previous incarnation. "In every department it has improved - we need a little bit more time and we should be a good little team."

Opening practice tomorrow will be the first yardstick any improvement can be measured against, and the hurdle at which it's fallen the last two years running. There is a lot of work that needs to be done if HRT is to silence its critics, though there are encouraging signs of change.