- 13 Nov 11, 15:57#283407
Just a quick thought that I don't think has been mentioned in the thread. A couple of questions have been asked, raising eyebrows about Kimi negotiating with Williams. These reasons seem to be based on two things:
1. That Kimi would have high wage demands.
2. That Williams aren't currently at the sharp end.
These are of course fair calls, but perhaps we are forgetting that Williams riased circa £50M earlier this year by floating shares in the company. That money wouldn't have had much effect on the competitiveness of this year's car, as the design and manufacturing would have been almost complete on that, however there's a very good chance that they will have been able to pump literally millions of pounds of that money into research and development for next year's car, and still potentially have millions left over to spend attracting a top level driver. Combine that with the other research facilities they've opened in the past year and Maldonado's money and there are some pretty hefty finances now in place.
So although I wouldn't expect Williams to be miraculously leading the field next year, there's a pretty strong case that could be made for them taking a substantial leap forward. If they have presented this in a positive way to Kimi, I could understand why he might be seriously considering the drive.
1. That Kimi would have high wage demands.
2. That Williams aren't currently at the sharp end.
These are of course fair calls, but perhaps we are forgetting that Williams riased circa £50M earlier this year by floating shares in the company. That money wouldn't have had much effect on the competitiveness of this year's car, as the design and manufacturing would have been almost complete on that, however there's a very good chance that they will have been able to pump literally millions of pounds of that money into research and development for next year's car, and still potentially have millions left over to spend attracting a top level driver. Combine that with the other research facilities they've opened in the past year and Maldonado's money and there are some pretty hefty finances now in place.
So although I wouldn't expect Williams to be miraculously leading the field next year, there's a pretty strong case that could be made for them taking a substantial leap forward. If they have presented this in a positive way to Kimi, I could understand why he might be seriously considering the drive.
Favourite racing series: F1, Indycar, NASCAR, GP2, F3, Formula E, Trophee Andros, DTM, WTCC, BTCC, World Endurance... etc. etc.
