Senna dropped from Silverstone, but not from team
Brazilian driver Bruno Senna was dropped from the Silverstone race at the British Grand Prix by his team Hispania. HRT made the announcement yesterday to the surprise of many, but has since released a statement that Senna will remain on the team for future races.
Hispania have not done well this season and have yet to come anywhere close to scoring a point. Senna’s manager Chris Goodwin dismissed accusations that the 26-year-old had been fired, saying that was “absolutely ridiculous.” Senna admitted only days ago he wants to remain with HRT into the 2011 season.
Hispania principal Collin Kolles did not comment on the exact reason why the Brazilian had been dropped from the race, but has since issued this statement:
"The team wants to confirm that Bruno Senna has all the support of the Spanish team, that he remains one of the Hispania Racing HRT F1 team's official drivers and that he will be continuing to drive in the remaining races.”
As for this weekend at Silverstone,
“The drivers are Sakon Yamamoto and Karun Chandhok,” Kolles announced on Thursday.
It was confirmed by a spokesperson for Hispania yesterday that the Japanese test driver Yamamoto and India’s Chandok have already been entered into the race, and not just for Friday’s practice. Yamamoto turns 28 today; perhaps this was a birthday present from the HRT.
Yamamoto used to drive for Super Aguir and Spyker and started in 14 races between 2006 and 2007. The now defunct teams were run by Kolles, and Yamamoto didn’t score any points for them. Let’s see if he has any luck this weekend.
Senna’s best result this season was in Malaysia and China when he finished in 16th place. At Valencia for the most recent European Grand Prix, Senna collided with Virgin Racing’s Timo Glock while fighting for a position during the race. Both men were called to the stewards afterwards.
Senna only finished three races this season, largely due to the unreliability of his car. He was eager to race at Silverstone as the driver is based in Britain and has a large fan base there. Senna spent most of his junior career in Britain as well, and set pole positions in the British Formula Three and the GP2 at Silverstone.
“I love driving at Silverstone,” the driver told reporters earlier this week. "It’s a unique place and feels like my second home grand prix. The atmosphere is great, with so many fans turning up for the race, and I have always been fairly successful here.”
Unfortunately he won’t get to enjoy the race from the cockpit this weekend, as the team wants to give the “opportunity” to Yamamoto on his birthday. At least he is not out of a job, and can enjoy the race knowing his team mate is having one of the best birthday weekends to date.
Hispania’s lack of points is a serious issue for the team, as they are fighting a losing financial battle. BBC’s Pundit Eddie Jordan said: “Long-term, Hispania need an injection of capital to survive.”
After HRT released the statement yesterday that Senna wouldn’t be driving for them this weekend, it was rumoured he was released from his contract citing money issues as the root of the problem. It was also speculated that HRT’s lack of sponsorship forced them to replace Senna with the better financed Yamamoto.
This could very well be true, as HRT’s money problems haven’t gone away overnight. The team has not made any comments regarding their financial state, nor have they confirmed or denied the reason Yamamoto is driving.
Senna made his Formula One debut this year in Bahrain. Senna is the nephew of Ayrton Senna, the late triple Formula One champion. Senna signed for Hispania in 2009 when it was still called Campos.
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