Massa in talks with Williams

Felipe Massa could follow race engineer Rob Smedley from Ferrari to Williams.

Following the news that Ferrari were letting the Brazilian go at the end of the season after the signing of Kimi Raikkonen, Massa made it clear that he would only continue his Formula One career at a team that could offer him the chance of race victories.

The only team in the paddock that looked like offering him that chance was Lotus and Massa was quickly linked with a seat swap with Kimi, especially considering Massa and Lotus already share a lucrative sponsor in the form of Richard Mille.

The watch making company is Massa’s personal sponsor as well as one of Lotus’ prime sponsors.

But Lotus have also been linked with Nico Hulkenberg, while Pastor Maldonado’s future at Williams remains uncertain, which has possibly opened the door for Massa to make the switch to Williams.

‘For sure, I am talking with a few teams, including even Williams, I will not go to a small team. I will go to the team that has possibilities to build a good car. I’m not a pay driver, so I will not go to a team just because I have a sponsor. I will go for my experience and for what I have already achieved in my career.’ Massa told Sky Sports.

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams has recently been in Venezuela holding talks with Venezuela oil company, PDVSA.

PDVSA is a major sponsor for the Williams F1 team and is worth an estimated £30million-a-season to the racing team, their current deal runs till 2015.

Maldonado’s seat at Williams is firmly attached to the PDVSA sponsorship, however Maldonado is reportedly not happy at Williams and has been courting the likes of Lotus, Force India and Sauber.