HRT future uncertain as boss Kolles exits

HRT’s future looks uncertain this week as the struggling Spanish team farewells its boss Colin Kolles.

In the wake of the 2011 takeover by Thesan Capital, HRT issued a media statement late on Wednesday to announce that Kolles will down tools on Thursday.

"This is due to the new direction that the team has taken and the decision of the new management to move the team headquarters to Spain," it read.

The news is significant, given that - since struggling through its first campaigns in 2010 and 2011 - HRT has essentially operated "in its entirety" from Kolles’ DTM team headquarters in Greding, Germany, according to Speed Week.

HRT started the week by denying that HRT’s 2012 car is being developed and built by a subsidiary of its back-of-the-grid rival Caterham.

The team explained that, instead, the F112 is being made in Munich "by a team of designers under the technical supervision of Jacky Eeckelaert and chief aerodynamicist Stephan Chosse".

"Despite the tight deadlines and a rule change for 2012 meaning that crash tests and chassis homologation procedures must be completed before any cars can test, the team is confident that the new car will be ready for preseason testing in February," Monday’s statement added.

Italy’s Autosprint reported that HRT’s ultimate plan is to relocate to Valencia.

But "the fact at the moment is that HRT has no structure in Spain," the report added. "At this time the future is totally uncertain."

Germany’s Speed Week, meanwhile, recalled speculation earlier this year that Kolles was linked with a move to Williams.