Auto123.com - Helping you drive happy

F1: HRT owner sentenced to three months in jail

|
Obtain the best financial rate for your car loan at Automobile En DirectTecnic
Khatir Soltani
From GMM

Hispania team ownerJose Ramon Carabante has been sentenced to three months in jail.

But the 59-year-old Spaniard will not actually serve time, according to reports including in the Marca sports newspaper.

He was, however, convicted of fraud surrounding the sale of land on which the promised construction of homes in 1997 and 1998 was not carried out.

The court in Cadiz, in southwestern Spain, also sentenced some other defendants whilst acquitting others.

At the time in question, Carabante was a director of the land developer, signing the contracts and managing the money.

Today, he is the major shareholder of his struggling formula one team HRT, which is targeting tenth in the 2011 world championship and a step forward for its third season on the grid next year.

Team boss Colin Kolles revealed on Friday that an aerodynamic programme in one of Mercedes' wind tunnels will begin in July.

"We will switch very soon to the 2012 car," he said.

Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
  • Over 8 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada