Formula One Update - HRT to Replace Chandhok with Yamamoto at Hockenheim
As the Formula One caravan moves to its next destination all teams are coming up with new strategies and plans. The competition is getting tougher with every passing race as half of the season has already gone by; the teams have started making plans and strategies for the 2011 season as well. All teams are busy making their mid season analysis in order to determine what actually went wrong and what went right during the past months so that the mistakes or shortcomings could be removed.
Similarly, HRT is also testing its drivers and the team plans to ensure better team performance for the rest of the year as well as for the upcoming season. For the next race, scheduled to be held at the end of this month at Hockenheim the team has decided to change its driving line. It has decided to replace the race driver Karun Chandhok by the team’s test driver Sakon Yamamoto. Previously Yamamoto replaced the other HRT driver Bruno Senna at the British Grand Prix and was able to finish the round at twentieth place.
The team was satisfied with the way he drove at the British event and wants to give him another chance this time driving alongside Senna at the German Grand Prix. The practice session on the race is to start this Friday and the team seems very hopeful and positive as they move towards the next destination of the Formula One calendar.
While making the announcement HRT officials said that they do not mean to make Chandhok feel bad rather it is just a test for Yamamoto while the former stays a part of the team and he will be driving with the team in one of the races very soon.
Including his race at Silverstone, Yamamoto has now the experience of having run fifteen Grand Prix’s. The last time he drove for a team was Force India, then called Spike and Super Aguri in the year 2001 as he began his career in racing a single seater with the Japanese Formula Three, having bagged fourth position in the debut season.
Later in the year 2002, the Japanese driver participated in the Europe and German Formula Three. The season did not start very well for him and he had to switch his team to Team Kolles, run by Colin Kolles. The team boss had grown a very deep relation with him as they had worked together later in Spyker and now at HRT as well. The team switch in 2002 did not favour his luck much and he had to move to F3 Euro series the following year. The move did not prove very lucky for him either and he had to head back to Japan in the year 2004.
Things turned batter for him at the home ground and he finished seventh at the Japanese Grand Prix. Later in the year 2005 he was once again not very fortunate at Formula Nippon campaign but also at the same time started looking at Formula One as his next destination.
In the same year he made his Formula One debut at the Silverstone with Jordan in September. He continued racing with Formula Nippon and Japan’s Super GT series before he was summoned to Formula One again by Super Aguri and became the team’s third driver.
Yamamoto had his first finish at any Formula One race in Shanghai in 2006, finishing at sixteenth place. His best finish so far had been with the team Spyker finishing at the twelfth place at his home race at Suzuka. Before signing with HRT he had spent a season with Renault in the year 2008.
Now, with his next year just around the corner, Yamamoto has got another chance to prove his mettle. Only a few more days to go and the HRT fans will be able to witness if the team has made a right decision or not.
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