Transfer 2014: Maldonado to Lotus and Massa to Williams?
In the midst of the silly season, rumors are in full swing. The latest ones include Pastor Maldonado joining Lotus alongside Romain Grosjean and Felipe Massa moving to Williams for a five-year term.
There are still a few seats available for the 2014 season, and not just any, notably the Lotus seat left vacant by Kimi Räikkönen. While Nico Hülkenberg seems to be the frontrunner to team up with Romain Grosjean next year, the German has yet to sign a contract.
It is whispered in the paddock that Pastor Maldonado, with his wealthy sponsor PDVSA, is finalizing a deal with Eric Boullier’s team. The current Williams driver, however, is not very forthcoming about his future: « Next year, we’ll see. There are a lot of rumors going around. It’s true that the season has been rather tough for me and for the team. We have worked together. I have never worked so hard in my life, it has been very difficult. During my three years with the team, I had never seen them work like this. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. The team is not in a good phase. Next year, I have a contract with them. But you never know. For now, I haven’t made any decisions. But it’s certain that I will continue. With Williams or elsewhere, but I will be there. »
According to Brazilian sources, Pastor Maldonado has reportedly already chosen to leave the team based in Grove. Felipe Massa would then replace him. The newspaper *Diario Motorsport* is even convinced that the announcement will occur in the coming days. Massa is said to have signed a five-year contract and would even receive a salary from the team, which would not make him a paying driver. To support their information, the Brazilian newspaper highlights the fact that Massa very recently subscribed to the Williams team’s *Twitter* account.
The 2008 vice world champion does not confirm the information but admits to being in contact with Williams: “I am talking with a few teams, and Williams is one of them.”
But without the financial windfall brought by Maldonado, it seems unlikely that Williams could afford to pay a driver like Massa. In any case, the game of musical chairs seems to primarily involve the Venezuelan, Massa, and Hülkenberg.
