HRT have asked the FIA for permission to contest Sunday's Australian Grand Prix after both drivers qualified outside the 107 percent rule.
Having only put in 45 laps in their new F112 ahead of Saturday's qualifying, HRT were very much on the back foot. And it showed.
Neither Pedro de la Rosa nor Narain Karthikeyan managed to qualify within the 107 percent time with both drivers over a full second off the pace.
HRT, though, have not given up on on competing and have applied to the FIA to take part in Sunday's season-opener.
"We did all we could today. The team put in a great shift and just making it to today was an accomplishment for us, because these days have been very hard for all of us, including the drivers," said de la Rosa.
"But there's a lot of room for improvement and, although it's true that we have to change many things, we know what they are, so all I can say is that we need to be patient.
"I already said it when I arrived on Wednesday, this is a test for us, it's our preseason. The downside is that we're doing it in front of the cameras because everything is more evident.
"We should have done it before but we lacked the time, so now all we can do is work for Malaysia and the following races and focus on the important areas to make the car quicker."
