HRT assets to become Scorpion Racing?

[phil1993]

Remember how Bernie said that HRT hadn't yet paid the entry fee..?
http://www.f1zone.net/news/hrt-searchin ... ale/16659/

[iceman1]

AUTOSPORT understands the team came close to a sale to a Middle East-based buyer at the end of last month, and that talks are still ongoing.

That's a good news. I hope they can hire me

[phil1993]

AUTOSPORT understands the team came close to a sale to a Middle East-based buyer at the end of last month, and that talks are still ongoing.

That's a good news. I hope they can hire me

I hope they get the investment they need. But I fear for them because they're isolated being in Spain and their economy isn't good at all. It would be good if they got that Middle East investment because you only have to look at what Middle Eastern money has done in football (success of Manchester City, PSG and Malaga) to see that it can work.

[zoefrances]

it will be interesting to see who buys the hrt team.

iceman it is true that middle east need a driver in f1 to keep them interested in it.

moto gp is the same, it has a big market in asia but needs rider's from japan and malaysia to keep this market interested. alot of rider's are finding that your passport will get you a ride. if you do not have the right passport then you won't.

motorsport is a cutthroat businesss

[donald29]

I wonder where this would leave Pedro? Because with Schumacher gone, if he lost his drive there would be no drivers left who drove in the 90s...

[phil1993]

Even if the team survives - and it's a big if - I would expect him to be replaced by a pay driver.

[donald29]

That's what I meant. His contract would probably be void.

[KevC]

I was thinking, I suspect HRT might have a big problem finding a buyer this year as the rules will change in 2014. Why would you buy a load of assets that aren't really useful; a massively out of date car, some rented offices in Spain, a few spanners etc to get your entry, build a car at vast expense for 2013 only to have to throw 90% of it away for the big changes in 2014.

I think they'll find it very hard to find a buyer. The alternative would be to just pay the entry fee for the grid with a view to having a clear 18 months of development to enter in 2014. That would be the sensible option for Bernie (because no one is going to miss HRT not being there for a season) with a view to having a new team with a reasonable car on the grid for 2014. At least that stands a better long term chance. I'm amazed HRT have lasted as long as this to be honest.

[iceman1]

I hope HRT stays or at least Maria Serrat (Head of Communication)

[phil1993]

Time to write negatively, sadly, as I have a look at HRT staring into oblivion
http://www.f1zone.net/news/sorry-hrt-st ... ion/16675/

More from Joe
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/11/ ... e-for-hrt/

[phil1993]

Seems that
- Work has shut down
- A deal with a Qatari owner fell through
- The team will officially close on November 26th
- It's not a lack of money, just that Thesan Capital are bored

[donald29]

From what Crofty said on commentary sounds like much of the team is bored. They're just fed up, they want to go racing and don't see what they're currently doing as racing.

If you exclude USF1, am surprised all the new teams have lasted this long. HRT will be forever remembered as a bad joke.

When HRT said they might not be able to qualify earlier it reminded me of Arrows at Magny Cours in 2002. If there's no financial trouble though, it seems like they might genuinely not be fast enough.

[phil1993]

Well, they've always been at around 105-106% of Q1 pace. They're not the worst team ever, but there's no progress. Even the likes of Minardi could sometimes challenge the cars ahead.

[iceman1]

- It's not a lack of money, just that Thesan Capital are bored

They're bored because they're not making any profit from this. F1 is just a pure business for them.

Here's what Gerard Lopez has to say about his Lotus team!

“Our involvement in Formula One is only possible if the numbers add up. At the moment they do.

“But if that is no longer the case, then we would have to think like business people and ask ourselves the question: ‘is this still interesting for us, or not?’”

[phil1993]

Yeah, so why invest in the worst F1 team