Hispania/FOTA mystery deepens

10/01/2011

The mystery as to why Hispania has left FOTA has deepened with the news that the Spanish team hadn't paid its membership dues.

Earlier today, in the wake of internet reports that it had left the teams' alliance, a spokesperson for the Spanish outfit claimed that the team had quit having felt that it no longer made sense to be members.

However, FOTA's general secretary Simone Perillo has since told Reuters that the Spanish team had failed to pay its 2010 membership dues.

"I can confirm that Hispania Racing F1 Team did not fulfil their 2010 FOTA membership fee obligations," he said, though he didn't disclose how much of the 100,000 euro (£83,000) annual fee was still owing.

Last week the Spanish outfit confirmed that it had signed Narain Karthikeyan, even though the Indian hasn't raced an F1 car in anger since 2005. Sceptics claim the decision has more to do with the fact that Karthikeyan is backed by the Indian multinational conglomerate Tata than his driving skills.