HRT boss Luis Perez Sala has played down Jaime Alguersuari’s hopes of rescuing his F1 career with the Spanish team.
Spaniard Alguersuari has lost his race seat at Toro Rosso, but one of the last spots on the 2012 grid is at HRT, raising the prospect of an all-Spanish super-team with the 21-year-old alongside Pedro de la Rosa.
Sala, a former Minardi driver, admitted he was surprised to hear Red Bull’s bad news.
"Absolutely. It’s bad news and incomprehensible," he said when asked about Alguersuari’s ousting.
"It’s clear that it would be a dream to have him, the very best Christmas present, but I doubt it is realistic because we already have a path with very long conversations with other drivers," Spaniard Sala told Radio Marca.
He acknowledged that long-time McLaren test driver de la Rosa’s signing has helped to attract Spanish sponsors, but it is likely that HRT is looking to pair the 40-year-old with a paying driver.