Williams’ sponsorship by PDVSA could be illegal
Pastor Maldonado made his arrival at Williams thanks to the massive support of the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA. However, a parliamentarian believes that this agreement could be against the law since it has not been submitted to the Assembly's approval. He has therefore requested explanations from Williams about the ins and outs of this agreement.
Carlos Ramos thus stirred the pot by sending a letter to Claire Williams, Frank’s daughter and head of institutional communication for the team, demanding explanations since he found no written trace of the agreement, whose amount could however reach several tens of millions of dollars.
Here is the translation provided by us of the said letter:
My name is Carlos Ramos. I am an elected Venezuelan parliamentarian.
As for the Williams F1 sponsorship contract with PDVSA, I would like to request a copy of the original contract between Williams F1 and PDVSA as part of an investigation conducted by the Venezuelan Congress.
As you may know, under Venezuelan legislation, expenses of this nature must be submitted for Congressional approval. You may also know that our Congress has not granted its authorization for the sponsorship contract between Williams F1 and PDVSA.
That is why I would be grateful if you could please provide me with the following information:
The amount paid so far to Williams F1 by PDVSA, the evidence of payments made so far to Williams F1 by PDVSA.
I’m waiting for your response and I remain at your entire disposal for any questions you may have in this area.
Yours sincerely,
Congressman Carlos Ramos»
If the response has very little chance of being made public (the team will not want to disclose such strategic information), this situation could directly threaten Pastor Maldonado’s future within the Grove structure, as without his financial backing, other paying drivers might seize the opportunity to take his seat.
With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr
