HRT is not facing any financial problems – Colin Kolles
HRT’s team principal Colin Kolles dismissed rumours that his team is facing financial problems and the team’s instant future is in jeopardy. He claims the team is positive about this season and it will see out the 2010 season.
Reports suggested that the HRT team has not cleared some of its dues for the 2010 season and the team might have to withdraw from the sport by the end of this season. It was suspected that HRT has not been able to make any advancements because of this financial
crisis hence the team was not performing up to the mark. The team joined Formula 1 this year to start its debut season with Sakon Yamamoto and Bruno Senna (Ayrton Senna’s nephew) as their racing drivers and Karan Chandhok as their test driver. HRT came to
Formula 1 with hopes that it will gradually work its way to the top after learning from their debut season but it seemed that the team might not be able to complete its first season according to the rumours.
It is suspected that the former world champion Jacques Villeneuve might be interested in buying the team after the FIA announced that there would be no additional teams on the grid in 2011. Jacques wanted to introduce his own team but that will not be possible
anymore. Rumours suggest that the Canadian might buy team Virgin or HRT as that is the only option left for him in order to return to Formula 1. Villeneuve is currently working on it with Giuseppe Dorigo and they claim that their first priority is to be on
the F1 grid for the 2011 season.
HRT is currently in the end of the constructors’ standings and the team is struggling a lot to gain some ground. Yamamoto and Senna are struggling to score some points and it seems that their rivals team Lotus are doing much better than they are. Bernie
Ecclestone, the CEO of Formula 1 also stated that he thinks that only team Lotus might be able to continue in the Formula 1 for the 2011 season out of the bottom three teams. HRT and Virgin are not up to the mark and they might not be able to continue in the
Formula 1 since they might not be able to cope financially.
Kolles confirmed that the team has paid its engine bill for the rest of the season after issues related to the team’s financial crisis were raised. This made it more likely that the team will remain on the grid until the end of the 2010 season and diminished
the possibility that the team might have to withdraw from the sport.
He added that the engine bill has been paid for the whole year just like the rest of the bills, which clears the fact that the team is done with its financial dues for 2010.
“I think actually we are in a better financial situation than many others. That we need more money is very clear, that is nothing to deny, but there are others who have many more debts and many more creditors than we have”, Kolles told Autosport.
The team principal claims that the team has to pay everything up front, when they are not running, that would mean they have not paid. “As long as we are running, we have paid. This situation has to change, because this has nothing to do with normal business.
Every company has certain payment terms - but this is a matter of trust and confidence”, he said.
Kolles wanted to divert the attention away from HRT by saying that his team is stronger than many other members of the F1 grid financially.
"We will see who will finish the season and who doesn't finish the season. In addition, we will see who will be on the grid next year and who isn't on the grid next year. I am used to this”, he added.
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