The car was launched with a white, gold and red livery, their third livery change in as many years. The car made its on-track debut at the circuit on 5 March, during a combined shakedown and filming day, with Karthikeyan completing the maximum allowable one hundred kilometres for a shakedown.
The team initially attempted to have the car ready for the third test of the off season in Barcelona, but were unable to make the deadline. The car successfully completed its final crash test on 24 February. Thesan Capital put the team up for sale in the closing weeks of the season, and while they offered words of encouragement that a buyer would be found, no further good news materialised and the F1 grid for 2013 has been cut to 11 teams.The car was expected to be launched on 21 February, but was delayed until March when it failed two of its mandatory crash tests, and was unable to take a third test as passing one of the tests it failed was a pre-requisite of this third test. Having missed out on pre-season testing with their new car for the third straight year in 2012, HRT initially gave the now Marussia team a run for their money in the early rounds but ultimately finished the year adrift at the bottom of the field and last in the Constructors' Championship. Higher classified finishes even allowed them to finish above higher-profile rivals Virgin in the Constructors' Championship in both 20. Or, it seems, any wider commercial interest.įor all of that, the team did develop into a respectable F1 operation over their three seasons, steadily cutting their overall lap-time deficit to the front.
Even a second takeover by private equity firm Thesan Capital mid-way through 2011 - and the accompanying Spanish makeover which saw former Minardi driver Luis Perez-Sala take over from Colin Kolles as Team Principal, veteran driver Pedro de la Rosa arrive for 2012 and the team move from Germany to the heart of Madrid - failed to ignite much impetus on the track.
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