HRT has confirmed the departure of technical director Jacky Eeckelaert ahead of the ꦏ2012 F1 season.

Eeck💎elaert was widely expected to take up the role full-time following the departure of Geoff Willis last year but has now also 🏅left the team after his contract wasn't renewed.

Chief designer Jean-Claude Martens is now overseeing final development of the 2012 HRT chal🍸lenger, with the team set to run its 2011 car for two days of the Jerez test this week.

"Jacky is no longer working for HRT," a spokesperson told GPUpdate. "His contract finished by the end of January and, following all the restructuring that the team has been going through over the past months, it was ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚdecide꧅d not to renew it.

"The (new) car is already in the last stages - crash ൩tests and homologation - and it's being supervised by the current Chief Designer Jean-Claude Martens, who has been with the team since September. It is the same situation with Simon Shinkins (Head of Production), who has been replaced by Dave Campbell."