Klien to replace Chandhok in Friday Practice 1

Christian Klien will drive in the Spanish FP1

HRT have announced that their test driver Christian Klien will replace Karun Chandhok for Friday Practice 1 in Barcelona this weekend. The Austrian driver had just joined HRT this week as their second test driver alongside Sakon Yamamoto.

As well as Fairuz Fauzy and Paul di Resta, Klien will be the third test driver so far this year to be given driving time during the race weekend.Colin Kolles said this about him:

"He is a young and fast driver. I have been keeping a close eye on 
him since his first races in the ADAC series as I believe he has 
great potential. We look forward to having Christian alongside us in 
Barcelona later this week so he can spend some valuable 
familiarization time with the team. As a young team we are looking 
or drivers who can grow with us."

Klien last raced in F1 when he replaced Jenson Button at Honda for one race at the 2007 British Grand Prix. It’s great to see him be given another chance, because he was never really given space to show his potential.

Just one problem I have though: HRT really need to announce news like this better. I only found out that Yamamoto was a test driver by accident, and I only heard about Klien today, even though he was signed earlier this week. And this is just the view of an F1 fan, think of how potential sponsors must be feeling. HRT should definitely shout a bit louder about themselves if they are to progress in the F1 world.