Williams is looking for a young driver to nurture
Claire Williams confided that the eponymous team founded by her father Frank was looking to help a new young driver access F1 and eventually set up a program to assist the careers of several young drivers.
The Williams F1 team does not have a third driver this season, but things could change as the Grove-based team is looking to take a young driver under its wing, similar to what was done with Valtteri Bottas, who is currently a main driver for the British team.
It was Claire Williams, the deputy team principal of the eponymous team, who revealed the information in an interview with Autosport: « Yes, there is [a plan to help a new young driver]. It’s one of the great things about Williams, one of the things we love to do is pick new talent that we can help. Frank [Williams] loves bringing in new drivers and seeing who’s out there, and he finds it so exciting. We’ve just placed Valtteri in the cockpit so that position is available. We’re doing research to see who stands out and who aligns with the team’s spirit. »
If Susie Wolff, development driver for the Williams team, could be in the running, the team would initially target another driver, Daniel Juncadella, who notably drove the FW35 during the young driver tests. The Spanish driver, F3 Euro Series champion, is currently driving for Mercedes in DTM, and with a good result, his future could be with Williams, possibly linked to the supply of engines starting in 2014.
Juncadella is also supported by the TAK group, which is responsible for promoting Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, with whom Williams has recently signed a partnership. In any case, as he told the Russian site Championat, Daniel Juncadella believes in his chances of driving for Williams one day: « We will see what happens in the future. Next year, Williams and Mercedes will use the same engine, and Mercedes will therefore be able to send its young and inexperienced drivers to a team with which it is connected, where drivers have the opportunity to show their potential. There is a good chance that in a few years, I can become the main driver for Williams. We will see. First of all, I have to achieve good results [in DTM]. »
The Spanish driver also revealed that he might drive during the winter testing of the 2014 season and maybe even in some Friday free practice sessions later in 2014, similar to what Valtteri Bottas experienced before being given a full-time seat. However, he did not specify whether this opportunity was offered by Williams or Mercedes, merely stating that there could be surprises in 2014.
If Juncadella could represent the future of Williams, the team does not want to focus on a single driver. Indeed, Claire Williams hopes to set up a complete program for young drivers, similar to what is done at Red Bull, Lotus, or even Caterham: « We would like to create a proper program for young drivers in the future, but as always it is a question of budget, and we must ensure that the budget is in place and secured for the F1 team before we start looking to create a program for young drivers like those of Lotus or Red Bull. We would like to have several drivers to support and there should be announcements soon regarding this. »
