[i6mbwwdh]

Eh, USF1 tried to be purely nationalistic and look where it got them. If the team can build for the future look for it to become more Spanish along the way (exactly what I said USF1 should have done)

Exactly. There's little point in declaring intentions that you know you cannot fulfill there and then. There's little if not any drivers in the US that have the funding (never mind the talent) to step up to F1 unless of course they went down the Scott Speed route and got found by Mr Mateschitz's Red Bull young driver programme

Yet another Anderson f**k up

[MpNelQTU]

This happens because it is easier to decide on wether Hispania is a good name or not than having to deal with the Stefan GP issue. If you can choose between an easy task and a hard one, what will you do?

If you find it "a bit" childish, then you´re not in tune with the FIA, since for them it is not childish. It´s realistic and proper and a lot of good things.

[N9u9ie4p]

Dudes, this Carabante guy just saved a team that would have otherwise been shut down. At least wait a couple of months before starting the negativity. (I know it's F1 but still...) I doubt they can be much slower than Lotus or Virgin anyway.

And what's wrong with having an Italian chassis constructor, English engine and international drivers? F1 is an international sport. Red Bull has an Austrian owner, a UK base, a French engine and German and Australian drivers. Hispania Racing will at least be based in Spain, which is more than can be said about the German Mercedes team etc.

The problem with F1 is that it remains stuck in nationalism. It continues to pretend - as do the constructors and probably most of the drivers - that they are representing or racing for countries.

This is further promoted and leveraged with the raising of national flags and playing the ugliest tunes on this earth - National Anthems.

This also encourages the most bizarre idea that merely because a person is from the same country as a driver, they should or they do support him.

And the most ridiculous part is that most of the drivers do not live in "their countries" and those such as Jenson have NOT lived in "their countries" for over TEN years!

Now we have Mercedes trying to pretend that it is a German team and Ferrari celebrating that the team is once again run by Italians.

Its BS.

I like Niki Lauda - when asked for who he raced he used to say for himself and Ferrari - none of this "my country" crap like Barrichello likes say.

Now there is a new team called "Hispania" - what the hell are the cars going to be named?? I have an idea - how about the Tortoise-Cosworth 01

Any bets on how many times Bruno will be lapped?

[Neitteloxesia]

Hmm I wonder if Mr. Tom Walkinshaw will allow this to go through without legal challenge, Walkinshaw has owned the trademark "HRT" for 20 years, as in the "Holden Racing Team" in Australia.

I'm not convinced that Walkinshaw will allow another racing team to use the trademark he owns without some form of legal challenge...

[paydayus]

FWIW, HRT F1 is a terrible name. Why not stick to Hispania? HRT doesn't flow well, it doesn't even make sense (Hispania Racing F1 Team = HRF1T, not HRT F1!), and it has NO marketing value, as HRT isn't the brand Carabante wants to market, Hispania is. It's as worthless as calling RedBull Junior Team "ToroRosso" or, worse yet, "STR". Nothing in "STR" makes me wanna go drink a RedBull!

[Xavier_Spinner_Wheels]

HRT to most people is Hormone Replacement Therapy. The armchair fan, at least the English speaking ones, will snigger at the new name.

[effebrala]

To be fair nobody calls the Toro Rossos "STR"s, and even less people call the Red Bull chassis "RBR"s, nobody called the Midlands "MF1"s, nobody will call the Saubers "BMW Sauber"s this coming year, and nobody called the Lotus a "JPS" when their sponsor tried to push that through.

So maybe if enough fans and media call them Hispanias rather than HRTs, the whole thing will go away?

[Xavier_Spinner_Wheels]

You're probably right, apart from the Lotus which were frequently referred to as "John Player Specials".

(Weird, as I type this, Ted Kravitz has just popped up on BBC News reading the sports report!)

[i6mbwwdh]

To be fair nobody calls the Toro Rossos "STR"s, and even less people call the Red Bull chassis "RBR"s, nobody called the Midlands "MF1"s, nobody will call the Saubers "BMW Sauber"s this coming year, and nobody called the Lotus a "JPS" when their sponsor tried to push that through.

So maybe if enough fans and media call them Hispanias rather than HRTs, the whole thing will go away?

The only time i saw the names MF1, RBR, and STR were on the FIA's official entry lists, no'one i've known has called the team themselves by the abbreviaions (apart from BAR though)

[irrelaAnnekly]

The problem with F1 is that it remains stuck in nationalism. It continues to pretend - as do the constructors and probably most of the drivers - that they are representing or racing for countries.

This is further promoted and leveraged with the raising of national flags and playing the ugliest tunes on this earth - National Anthems.

This also encourages the most bizarre idea that merely because a person is from the same country as a driver, they should or they do support him.

And the most ridiculous part is that most of the drivers do not live in "their countries" and those such as Jenson have NOT lived in "their countries" for over TEN years!

Now we have Mercedes trying to pretend that it is a German team and Ferrari celebrating that the team is once again run by Italians.

Its BS.

I like Niki Lauda - when asked for who he raced he used to say for himself and Ferrari - none of this "my country" crap like Barrichello likes say.

Now there is a new team called "Hispania" - what the hell are the cars going to be named?? I have an idea - how about the Tortoise-Cosworth 01

Any bets on how many times Bruno will be lapped?

And this from a poster that has a flag under his name. I've got news for you, the world is still about nationalities, and supporting a driver from you country isn't nationalism, it's totally understandable and there is nothing bad or weird about it. I bet your national feelings (which I feel is a much better word than nationalism) would appear from somewhere if we suddenly had a Jewish driver in F1. In fact I'm sure about it. If you don't understand the reasoning behind supporting your countryman, you're from another world.

A good example: Why would I support Alonso instead of Räikkönen? I don't understand Alonso and his cultural habits, the way he speaks and reacts are little bit alien to me while Kimi I'm able to understand, I sort of see where is coming from, we've got things in common, such as language and some basic habits, although monotone speech, thank God, isn't one of them.

[effebrala]

I've got news for you, the world is still about nationalities, and supporting a driver from you country isn't nationalism, it's totally understandable and there is nothing bad or weird about it.

Totally agree - while not the be-all-and-end-all, I've always been more naturally inclined to root for a driver from my homeland, be it Mansell, Hill or Button.

Having said that I do prefer teams to have more emotive names (usually named after the founder but not always), rather than simply being branded after a country.

But as I've said, I don't get why Hispania isn't OK, but Force India and USF1 (both far more awkward and less elegant as a chassis name) are/were OK in the eyes of the FIA?

[paydayus]

To be fair nobody calls the Toro Rossos "STR"s

I have seen it in on-screen results lists. I can't remember 100% whether it was the official FIA screenover, or SpeedTV's, but I am fairly sure it was the official one by FIA. I've definitely seen it on screen, though.

[effebrala]

The problem with F1 is that it remains stuck in nationalism. It continues to pretend - as do the constructors and probably most of the drivers - that they are representing or racing for countries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqOkv...eature=related

Heikki racing for Finland?

Just thought I'd bring it up.

[LookSe]

You're probably right, apart from the Lotus which were frequently referred to as "John Player Specials".

Indeed, for that was what the cars were called for marketing purposes, if I recall correctly — JPS Mark 1, Mark 2, etc.

[Uzezqelj]

FWIW, HRT F1 is a terrible name. Why not stick to Hispania? HRT doesn't flow well, it doesn't even make sense (Hispania Racing F1 Team = HRF1T, not HRT F1!), and it has NO marketing value, as HRT isn't the brand Carabante wants to market, Hispania is. It's as worthless as calling RedBull Junior Team "ToroRosso" or, worse yet, "STR". Nothing in "STR" makes me wanna go drink a RedBull!

I think everyone will just call them Hispania. The only time the abbreviations are ever used is when the name is just too big and there is no one word people can use to shorten the name like British American Racing, Automobili Turismo e Sport or Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives. Since HRT F1 has a single word that people can call it by; Hispania, people will use that.