The owner of the HRT Formula One team has announced that the team is up for sale.
Thesan Capital, an investment firm which acquired HRT from the Carabante family midway through 2011, said in a statement on Monday that it was 'currently in talks with a number of groups interested in buying the team'.
The statement added: 'HRT Formula One Team's current management hopes to conclude the sale in the upcoming weeks'.
A quote in the same statement from the team's management, which has been led this season by former Spanish Formula One driver Luiz Pérez-Sala, said: “We believe the moment to let new investors come through for HRT Formula One Team has arrived.
“We’re very proud of the work done by the entire team and of the excellent sporting evolution achieved but the time has come for the team to continue growing with new financial backing. We’re convinced that the sporting potential of the team is huge and that the presence of new investors can give it a big boost”.
The HRT team was launched as Hispania at the start of the 2010 season. The original idea behind the Spanish team came from former driver Adrian Campos but the collapse of his planned outfit saw Spanish entrepreneur and project investor Jose Ramon Carabante take over with just weeks before its planned debut, largely to protect his original investment.
Thesan Capital purchased the team in July 2011 for a sum believed to be around US$29 million.
The team has not yet scored a point in its history and has struggled to shift itself from the back of the grid, although there have been some signs of progress in 2012 with the organisation's move to new headquarters in Madrid.
There was no immediate word on potential buyers, although the team has established roots in both India and China this year. Indian Narain Karthikeyan races for the team, while China's Ma Qing Hua is the team's test and reserve driver.
The team has so far not named any drivers for the 2013 season, although Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa is understood to be under contract.