N.Technology has attained legendary status amongst Alfa Romeo enthusiasts' for the touring car titles it won with the Alfa 156 in the early part of the decade with top class driver line-ups that included famous names such as Fabrizio Giovanardi, Gabriele Tarquini (bottom), James Thompson (top) and Augusto Farfus (middle).

One of the most unlikely of the swelter of imaginative new entries to F1 for 2010 was Alfa Romeo's former factory touring car team N.Technology which has now withdrawn its bid to join the grid. The team, which is now owned by MSC Organistation Ltd. which bought its assets after it went into liquidation last year, has cited "irregularities" and "uncertainties" in the application process amongst the reasons for junking its bid in a statement that it issued today announcing its withdrawal. MSC Organization Ltd is best known for running the popular International Formula Master junior single-seater series that supports the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

Team N.Technology announced its entry application earlier this month but only last week its principal members were expressing their unhappiness after the team wasn't detailed amongst the three additional outfits to be granted slots on the grid for next year, although it was reportedly on a reserve list. Speaking to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Mauro Sipsz, who founded and co-ran the team when it was powering to a string of international touring titles for Alfa Romeo, claimed: "The applications have been used by the Federation as pawns to move in the fight against the teams." Along with Eurosport CEO Angelo Codignoni, who is also a key player in the team's management, the pair said that: "Toro Rosso and Red Bull are included despite missing the compulsory indication of the engine, and it doesn't say who will race under the budget cap. We are victims of their war." As well as Sipsz and Codignoli, the N.Technology management line-up includes another team founder, Monica Bregoli, technical director Andrea Adamo and former Trident Racing managing director Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

These comments were followed by a statement today that indicated that N.Technology had withdrawn its bid to join F1 in 2010. "With much regret, taking into consideration the highly questionable process conducted by the FIA – which is affected by many irregularities – and the uncertainties regarding the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the MSC board decided last night to withdraw its application as Team N.Technology, under the new regulations allowing entry of 'capped-budget' teams," read the statement. "MSC believes that through its wrong actions and objectionable management methods, the FIA severely hurt MSC's efforts to become a new team and undermined the Formula 1 sport, taken as a whole. MSC shall consider making a new application when the Formula 1 environment is stabilised and the conditions are met for a transparent and loyal contest, ensuring visibility and predictability to the candidate teams. MSC wishes to renew its warm acknowledgements to the sponsors and technical and business partners who support its efforts to become a new independent Formula 1 team."

N.Technology has attained legendary status amongst Alfa Romeo enthusiasts' for the touring car titles it won with the Alfa 156 in the early part of the decade with top class driver line-ups that included famous names such as Fabrizio Giovanardi, Gabriele Tarquini, James Thompson, Augusto Farfus and Gianni Morbidelli. After winning the FIA European Super Touring Cup in 2000 with Giovanardi they then won the FIA European Touring Car Championship from 2001 to 2003 (twice with Giovanardi and once with Tarquini), before the team graduated to the new FIA World Touring Car Championship, and although titles weren't forthcoming it was always in the run for championship and continued to rack up the race wins with the now-elderly Alfa 156 right until the Italian sports car manufacturer ended its support at the conclusion of the 2007 season. N.Technology was also involved in the Fiat Punto rally programme which brought a string of domestic titles and it developed and built the GT1 category customer 575 GTC sports car for Ferrari.