HRT might withdraw from Formula One
While the small Spanish team saw its cars miss the race in Australia after being over 107% in qualifying, Jose Ramon Carabante, owner of HRT, might withdraw from Formula One in the coming days, with immediate effect.
He admitted to the radio station Cadena Ser that the Spanish team was not in the best position: “If we had the same budget as the other teams, we would have arrived in Australia with 3,000 km under our belt. […] But like last year, we started the development late because of the financial situation.”
And yet, both drivers and team leaders had been optimistic for the next Grand Prix, held in Malaysia, but according to some Spanish sources, the businessman would like to cut his losses due to lack of funding.
Carlos Da Silva, journalist specialized at the newspaper AS, stated this morning on his Twitter: « HRT will not be in Malaysia! Carabante is stopping the expenses! Announcement by tomorrow! »
Other sources, less official, report numerous defections among engineers, some of whom have not been paid since last December, while others have protested against the use of obsolete parts from last season due to lack of components.
In England, some sources report a rapprochement between Lotus Grand Prix and Vitantonio Liuzzi for a third driver position, signaling the end of the journey for Hispania Racing Team.
More information to follow in the coming days.
Update: Some of you may have guessed: this is an April Fool’s joke developed in two articles! However, if it seemed credible for a brief moment, it’s because this article could very well become a reality one day, unfortunately for the small Spanish team!
