13/02/2012
NEWS STORY
HRT has announced that Dani Clos is to join the team as its test driver, describing the move as "another step in the team's aspirations of establishing itself as a platform for young talents to reach the pinnacle of world motorsport".
The team claims that Clos will form an integral part of the team, taking part in several free practice sessions on Fridays and travelling to every Grand Prix throughout the season, with the main objective of learning and getting to know the team. There is a lot of hard work ahead of him but Dani will have the whole team's support, including that of his teammates Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa, to help him learn and progress in such a demanding environment.
Clos experienced his first contact with the team in November, during the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi. The Spanish driver will start to exert his functions as the team's test driver immediately and will be with the team for the third pre-season tests in Barcelona from the 1st to the 4th of March.
"I'm very proud to be a part of HRT Formula 1 Team," said Clos. "It is a great step in my career, something that I have dreamt of all my life and, finally, my dream is starting to come true. I'm very impressed with the job the team is doing; they're achieving fantastic things in a short space of time. The team has changed a lot since we met in the Abu Dhabi tests and I think it's a great opportunity and an honour to form a part of this new team. What they're achieving is very important for motorsport in our country and has a lot of potential. Also, being alongside Pedro de la Rosa is very important for me, since he and Karthikeyan can positively contribute to me becoming a better driver. I want to thank Saul Ruiz de Marcos and Luis Perez-Sala for the trust they've shown in me from the start and, above all, I would like to thank the people who have always been by my side, such as Leonardo Soldevila and my father. For me a new chapter is beginning, one where hard work and dedication are going to be my priorities; I'm going to give it my all so that this phase is as successful as it can possibly be for the team, my teammates and myself."
"I'm very happy to have Dani on the team," added team boss, Luis Perez-Sala. "He's a quick, talented driver who, above all, is very willing to progress. The incorporation of Clos is another step in our project of restructuring HRT but also fits in with our desire to promote young motorsport talents. I'm sure that it will be a very positive experience for both parties."
Though the team's 2012 car isn't scheduled to appear until the final pre-season test, which gets underway on March 1, many are predicting that, as in 2010 and 2011, the car wont turn a wheel until it reaches Melbourne.