A leaked invoice suggests PDVSA, the state owned Venezuelan oil company, is paying a staggering US$46 million for its sponsorship of the Williams team in 2012. Despite its authenticity having not been confirmed, the invoice from Williams - includes the Oxfordshire based team's correct Barclays bank account - requests the full amount in pounds sterling. Also appearing on the internet in recent months were the full contract between team driver Pastor Maldonado and Williams, and a stamped letter from Venezuelan congressman Carlos Ramos. The leaking […]

Pastor Maldonado trusts he will enjoy a better car for his second season in Formula 1. The 2010 GP2 champion, whose sponsors now pay handsomely for his F1 race seat, made his debut alongside Rubens Barrichello and scored one of Williams' five points last year. Retained for the forthcoming season, 26-year-old Maldonado said he is feeling "calmer" for 2012. "I trust the team that the car we have made will be much more competitive than we had last season," the EFE news agency quotes the […]

Williams is looking for a new title sponsor after ending its relationship with AT&T

Jerome d'Ambrosio has admitted it was a lack of financial support that drove him off the grid with Virgin/Marussia. A rookie in 2011, he has been replaced ahead of the team's next campaign by young Frenchman Charles Pic, who is handled by former grand prix drivers Eric Bernard and Olivier Panis, and the Lagardere Unlimited group. It is rumoured Belgian d'Ambrosio is now a contender to be the third driver next year at Lotus, the team headed by his manager Eric Boullier. "That's a good […]

Williams today confirmed Pastor Maldonado will continue as one of their drivers for next season, along with Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas as reserve driver. The second seat alongside Maldonado has yet to be announced by the team. Williams team principal Frank Williams, in a statement released by the team said, “Pastor has proven this year that he is not only quick but also that he is able to maintain a consistent and strong race pace. Pastor has been responsible for all of our forays into […]

Pastor Maldonado insists he is not worried he might be pushed out of formula one due to politics in his native Venezuela. It is reported the country's parliament is looking into the lucrative deal between Maldonado's backer PDVSA, the state-owned oil company, and the famous British team Williams. "I don't know exactly what is happening, but I'm not worrying about it," the Mirror quotes the 26-year-old as saying at Interlagos. "I am really happy to be here and I would like to continue." Maldonado said […]

Like his teammate Rubens Barrichello, Pastor Maldonado might also be feeling nervous about his Williams race seat beyond Sunday's 2011 season finale. Last time out in Abu Dhabi, team boss Sir Frank Williams admitted that, despite Maldonado's lucrative sponsorship by the state owned Venezuelan oil company PDVSA, it is "not clear exactly who will be in both cars" next year. Days later, it emerged that the Venezuelan parliament has been asking questions about Williams' PDVSA deal, with Speed Week reporting that it may not be […]

Sep.25 (GMM) Pastor Maldonado insists he is happy at Williams.

It is assumed that, due to his links with Venezuelan title sponsor PDVSA, the 26-year-old rookie will definitely head up the British team's 2012 lineup.

But media sources report that the...