HRT has 🍰confirmed the departure of technical director Jacky Eeckelaert ahead of the 2012 F1 season.

꧋Eeckelaert 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 challenger, 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 ove♕r the past months, it was decided not to renew it.

"The (new) car isไ already in the last stages - crash tests and homolo✤gation - 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 It is the same situation with Simon Shinkins (Head of Production), who has been replaced by Dave Campbell."