HRT strengthen team by hiring Spanish businessman Juan Villalonga

Businessman Juan Villalonga has joined the Hispania Racing Team, associating with its owner and president Jose Ramon Carabante. As soon as the agreement was made, both parts said that their partnership has been established to reinforce the team, create and strengthen the project of the first ever Spanish Formula 1 team.

The immediate aim, following the recently announced agreement with Williams F1, is to be able to have a much more competitive team. Jose Ramon Carabante and Juan Villalonga met Mr. Ecclestone to explain the project and the future of Hispania Racing.

Juan Villalonga was the pioneer in the sponsorship of Formula One in Spain during his time as President of Telefonica and, as Carabante said, “he has always felt, as I do, a clear passion for motorsport”. “We will substantially strengthen our ability to generate innovative activities in marketing and sponsorship with his incorporation”. “We will also be able to make the best of his leadership, knowledge and relationships in the fields of Technology and Communications, and therefore be able to fully exploit the opportunities we are given after this tough first year”. Playing with mathematical terms, he said, “this is a sum that multiplies and enhances our ability to grow as a team”.

Juan Villalonga said he felt excited with this new challenge: “Formula One is always associated with innovation, research and technology, and Hispania Racing must be represented on that level, with a stable leadership”. Aware of the huge investments required to have a competitive team, Juan Villalonga stressed that for him, “the key is the quality and not the quantity of sponsors”, and that his immediate goal is to help “develop new relationships with them, leading to the creation of more value for all implicated parts”.