Campos Repsol

**Campos Repsol Honda,** commonly known as **Campos Repsol** and **CRH,** is a Spanish racing team and the de facto works Honda team. Formed after a Spanish consortium consisting of former HRT owner Adrian Campos, Spanish oil company Repsol, Formula Earth champion Carlos Sainz and MotoGP legend Marc Marquez took over the financially stricken Sauber, the team made a very strong start, establishing itself as a strong midfield team with occasional podium finished and even a win at their second ever year with John Cida. At that time, Campos also formed an alliance with the other Honda-powered teams, Red Bull and Alpha Tauri. However, they experienced a decline from 2032 onwards after not conserving money for the new regulations and as of now they have remained in the midfield, scoring occasional podiums.

## Origins

In the end of 2029, Sauber was declared bankrupt after surviving multiple seasons on a very limited budget. Lots of entities were ttipped for a buyout, including a rumoured Finland FE Team which would be led by star driver of Sauber and benefactor John Cida. In the end, the Spanish consortium formed by ex-Campos and HRT owner Adrian Campos, Repsol, former champion and McLaren star Carlos Sainz and MotoGP icon Marc Marquez, took over the team and signed an alliance with Honda, forming Campos Repsol Honda, the new works team of the Japanese manufacturer.

## 2030-2031: A strong start

For 2030, CRH had bought Cida's unique contract from Sauber, making him the lead driver and also signed Roman Massey, who had controversially exited Mercedes following a contract dispute with team principal Rupesh Simpson, who planned to loan him to Saudia in Formula International. The team was competitive from the beginning and showed great pace. Cida, who was considered one of the most talented drivers of the grid, finally started showing his true potential by scoring 44 points and coming very close to scoring a podium on multiple occasions. Massey, despite being tipped to bring the team in the top 10, only scored 4 points and proved to be a financial burden alongside an underachiever, resulting in the team transfer listing him.

Massey was sold to Aston Martin in 2031, with the team signing Kosovan Edvin Beqiri from Alpine on a 2-year contract. The team was the sixth best of the grid, and Cida also stunned the paddock by scoring his first ever career win in the wet Canadian GP. Cida finished 10th in the standings. Beqiri, despite a weak start, scored some good results, including a fifth place in Monaco and scoring 23 points, helping the team secure sixth place.

## 2032-2038: Decline and stuck in the midfield

The lineup of Cida and Beqiri was kept for 2032, but the team had fallen to the back of the grid due to failing to make a competitive car for the new era and failed to score a single point during the season. Beqiri left the team in order to race at WEC and the team signed 2032 runner-up Tanjiro Kamado. 2033 was a slight improvement, with Cida scoring 5 points and Kamado 1. 2034 was similar, with Kamado scoring 9 points and Cida 1.

Cida decided to retire at the end of the year, ending his longtime legacy with Sauber and CRH, and the team, now having made a better car, signed Mark Fouert from the departing Mercedes team on a 4-year basis. Fouert impressed by scoring a podium and scoring 55 points. Kamado scored 26 points and scored one podium. In Suzuka, Kamado announced his retirement from the sport following his contract expiry. Alberto Matadores was signed via draft for the second seat. 2036 was similar again, with Fouert improving by 4 points despite finishing more down the order. Matadores finished 21st, missing the rookie of the year award to Aidan McKay by 1 point. 2037 and 2038 were similar, with Fouert scoring the occasional podium and performing well and Matadores underachieving

## 2039-present: Brief rise and fall

Fouert and Matadores got contract extensions in the end of 2038 which will keep them until 2041. 2039 was a massive improvement for the Spanish team, with Fouert scoring his first ever win at FE and the first for Campos since 2031. Matadores also performed well, scoring a single podium and finishing 9th. Both cars finished in the top 10 and Campos managed to finish 4th, their best ever finish in the standings. However, due to spending massively, they were forced to conserve money and as a result, fell to the back of the grid in 2040, with the team finishing all the way back in 12th, having the second worst car of the grid.

## Notable Drivers

* John Cida (2030-2034)
* Roman Massey (2030)
* Edvin Beqiri (2031-2032)
* Tanjiro Kamado (2033-2035)
* Mark Fouert (2035-present)
* Alberto Matadores (2036-present)