Force India, HRT teams still in China

Most of the Force India and HRT teams are still stranded in Shanghai, it emerged on Thursday.

Four days after the chequered flag waved at the end of the Chinese grand prix, it was reported that most teams – and the crucial F1 freight and cars – are now arriving back on European soil.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner said the air travel delays due to the famous volcanic ash cloud will have little effect on the team’s plans for Barcelona, while Lotus’ Mike Gascoyne said planned developments for Spain will be applied “to both cars”.

But a Force India spokeswoman said in Shanghai on Thursday that while the drivers are back in Europe, “the majority of the team” is still in China.

With the team owned by the Kingfisher airline magnate Vijay Mallya, she told Reuters that they are hoping for their charter to leave “at some point tomorrow”.

Indian rookie Karun Chandhok also revealed that most of the HRT team is still in China, amid reports that hundreds of other F1-related personnel are in a similar situation and face waits for flights that could extend well into the weekend.

© RIF|GMM