Williams will collaborate with taxis and buses in Qatar

Qatar has become one of the main supporters of Williams, leading to the establishment of a technology center in the country’s capital, Doha. Since then, numerous collaborations have been established with companies owned by the country’s interests. Today, it involves Mowasalat, which manages all the taxis and buses operating in the country.

This letter of intent between the two companies provides that drivers employed by Mowasalat will be able to train on simulators developed by Williams at its development center in Doha. These technologies will be integrated into the Karwa Transportation Training and Development Centre in order to adapt, develop, and empirically validate the training systems developed by Williams F1.

The training will focus on road safety, passenger comfort, and fuel savings. The first part of the agreement will not be a luxury since Qatar is one of the countries with one of the highest road mortality rates relative to the size of its population in the world. Nevertheless, the country has been committed for nearly a decade to reduce this rate in order to approach Western standards. This involved the replacement of all taxis and buses that could operate in the country. Some were, indeed, real rolling wrecks driven by drivers whose safety was the least of concerns. As for the mention of fuel savings, while it fits well with the current trend and Williams’ commitments, it nevertheless brings a smile when we know that the price of gasoline (diesel is only available for heavy vehicles) never changes, despite fluctuations in the price of a barrel.

This agreement is another sign that seems to indicate Williams is about to receive a major sponsor from the country, which places sports at the heart of its diplomacy. Thus, it managed to secure the 2022 FIFA World Cup and now aims to obtain the Olympic Games. Of course, it would also like to host a Formula 1 race on its Losail circuit, but the presence of Bahrain and Abu Dhabi on the calendar seems to block its hopes in the short term. There are increasing rumors that the Qatar National Bank is about to make a massive entry into the team, which could potentially bring Kimi Räikkönen back to F1. An announcement could even take place as early as next weekend during the Emirati leg of the Formula One Circus.

With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr