Williams and Marussia discussed a merger
It is the new executive director of Mercedes AMG F1, Toto Wolff, who revealed that Marussia had suggested the idea of merging with Williams for the 2014 season by acquiring the shares Wolff holds in the Grove team. An aborted attempt.
Toto Wolff has indeed left Williams F1 Team, but he still retains 12.2% of the shares of the team founded by Sir Frank Williams. This stake has inspired Russian billionaire Andrey Cheglakov, owner of the Marussia team.
A buyout of these shares could have led to a rapprochement, or even a merger of the two entities. The possibility was clearly discussed between Claire Williams, the founder’s daughter, and the Russian magnate. However, the latter faced a categorical refusal.
Toto Wolff confirmed the failure of negotiations, citing several details. « I was in discussion with Marussia, which also reached out to Sauber. It is a well-reputed person who finances the team to the tune of 50, 60, or 70 million per year. But the team is nowhere performance-wise. On the other hand, you have a team with good foundations where you could buy a minority stake, say 5% or more. Instead of injecting 50, 60, or 70 million euros per year, you would only spend 20 or 30 million… That’s why the discussions went nowhere. »
A Russian-style alliance?
It is also noted that Marussia is said to have entered discussions with Sauber, which is known to have financial difficulties despite the arrival of Russian investors. These issues have led to the departure of Nico Hülkenberg, who is reported to be very close to Force India. No information from Hinwil has confirmed or denied Toto Wolff’s statements.
Williams still has a solid backbone
The arrival of Felipe Massa and his main sponsor, the oil company Petrobras, combined with the engine supply by Mercedes for 2014, has strengthened the English team after the departure of Pastor Maldonado and his millions of dollars from PDVSA. Even though results have been lacking for several seasons, despite the Venezuelan’s remarkable performance in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, one of the legendary F1 teams is not yet ready to spread its capital thin.
