Qatar could be the key to Räikkönen’s return to Williams

The visit of Kimi Räikkönen to the Williams team’s facilities has been the subject of much speculation for more than three weeks now. While the Finnish driver’s manager insisted that no negotiations were underway between his driver and the British team, the Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat believes that the engagement of the 2007 world champion would allow the Grove team to secure sponsorship from the Qatar National Bank.

This bank, half-owned by Qatari authorities, has reportedly been the subject of Franck Williams’ interest for several years, while Williams Technologies has interests in Qatar where it has established a technology center.

The existence of this major sponsor would add credibility to a potential return of the Finnish driver to Formula One with Williams, as until now, the rumor was partly hampered by the difficulty of imagining the British team affording the services of the 2007 world champion while it has been going through a delicate financial situation for a few seasons.

« I think Williams will make the best choices for the company and to achieve the best results » assures Sam Michael, technical director of the British team until Singapore.

The Australian engineer, future sporting director of McLaren, also states that Pastor Maldonado, strongly supported by Venezuela through the oil company PDVSA, should still be part of the adventure in 2012: « You can definitely start to see what a rookie is capable of or not by mid-season, and I would certainly place Pastor Maldonado in the first category. »

Sam Michael assures that money is not a priority criterion for the team: « If he were not capable, he would not have kept his seat for the future, so I can say that this boy will have an even more solid season next year. »

It remains to be seen who the teammate will be that the Venezuelan driver will have to face next season, as the chances of it being Rubens Barrichello diminish week after week.