Williams is almost ready to announce Kimi Raikkonen’s return to formula one for 2012, according to media reports.
“(The) Raikkonen (agreement) is almost there,” a source inside the famous British team is quoted by FAZ newspaper.

Italy’s Autosprint reports that the funding is coming from Qatar.

Williams on Wednesday hinted at the deal by revealing that a memorandum of understanding with Mowasalat, a Qatari company, was signed in Doha for the use of the team’s simulator technology.

“The funding for the ‘Iceman’ is coming from the heat of Qatar,” said the Italian magazine.

The Finnish broadcaster MTV3 said the sponsorship of a Qatar bank is the next step.

That will validate a contract that Raikkonen, 32, reportedly signed recently “and the announcement will be made in Abu Dhabi” next weekend.

The Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell said the 2007 world champion is Williams’ “first choice” to be Pastor Maldonado’s new teammate.

“He (Raikkonen) has been at Grove several times for talks,” the report added.

Kimi Raikkonen may have now signed a contract to return to formula one with Williams in 2012.

The Finnish daily Ilta-Sanomat reveals that its source is the Monaco-domiciled former Simtek and Footwork driver Taki Inoue, a Japanese who last raced in F1 in 1995.

Inoue is apparently still well connected in formula one circles, given his efforts to advance the careers of several rising Japanese drivers.

Earlier this month, Ilta-Sanomat reported that the key to Raikkonen’s return to formula one was whether Williams could sign the Qatar National Bank as a major new sponsor.

Brazilian journalist Livio Oricchio wrote in O Estado de S.Paulo last Friday: “In recent days Frank Williams travelled to Arab states Qatar and Saudi Arabia.”

The beleaguered British team rose to the front of the grid some decades ago with Arab-linked sponsors including Saudia, TAG and Albilad.

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has been named as the likely buyer of the lease of British grand prix venue Silverstone.
The Independent said Qatar Investment Authority – already owning shares in the London Stock Exchange, Volkswagen, Harrods, Miramax and French football club Paris Saint-Germain – is in exclusive talks with owner the British Racing Drivers’ Club.

Due diligence is taking place now and “a final decision is expected in the next six months”, said the British newspaper.

The report said part of the deal is that the 150-year leaseholders will have to maintain Silverstone “to make it suitable to retain the British grand prix” beyond 2017.

Qatar is one of the Arab emirates in the Middle East, located next to South Arabia and across the strait from Bahrain.

The Williams-racing start in Qatar an initiative to make the roads safer – it is the first of its kind in the region
The Williams team is expanding its efforts to make the road safer. Together with the Qatar National Bank (QNB), the largest private bank in Qatar and the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) will start the team some safety campaigns to alert the population in Qatar on the dangers in traffic. One wants to move 25,000 residents to more cautious and forward-looking driving style.

Some team members of the racing team will hold lectures in schools and universities. QSTP will promote road safety through simulators, developed in the Williams factory and used for driving instruction, training and education are. The initiative in Qatar as well as other programs will run from Williams, including the partnership with DEKRA in Germany: The Williams program focuses on energy efficiency, education and road safety.

The campaign is the first of its kind in the region. It is intended to encompass all stages of life, not just the current driver, but also the future. As an incentive, a Williams-powered car in different places will be issued.
TMS

For Casey Stoner on the first long fast is over, stop the bad streak of 11 races without a pole. Now the Motorland Aragon is the time to stop the sequence of victories that has gone missing from the penultimate race of the 2009 season: the restored confidence in the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 this weekend seems to be right, at least according to the same 2007 World Champion.

“In the last race weekend we tried different things to make the bike more competitive, without ever being able to make decisive progress, whereas here it seems that we have found something, “says Casey Stoner. “We have changed a bit ‘weight distribution and this gave me more grip and more confidence. Maybe it’s just the bike that fits well with this track, but in any event, we are happy to have made the pole for the first time in Qatar.

I also like to drive new circuit is always exciting where you have not already tried a million times. We wait to see how you put the race to see if I can be with other people, because this season there has already happened to realize less than has proof but we feel good in the race and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

Casey Stoner does not win the Grand Prix of Malaysia last year, a long fasting in 13 races, the longest since he started to win in MotoGP.

End of a long fast. After 12 races Casey Stoner back in pole position, a result that he lacked even the onset of the season in Qatar facing a difficult championship, to be forgotten, pending transition of its change of brand for 2011. With his Ducati Desmosedici GP10 has been found well to Motorland Aragon: best time in the wet yesterday afternoon, just this morning in optimal climatic conditions. The next step was the pole position this time has not escaped Iridium 2007, to reach a lap of 1’48 “942 like a thunderclap in the fighting ending of formal qualifications.

At the 20th career pole in MotoGP, Stoner trimmed to 3 / 10 Jorge Lorenzo, left to watch … especially the last (fast) sector where Casey made the difference. The leader of the world has recovered from a difficult morning, leaving behind Dani Pedrosa also, this time for his mistake on the last lap useful when it came off after a strong reference in the first two best lap of the circuit of Alcaniz. Okay for the driver of the Honda (and will remain for the next two years alongside his Stoner), especially considering the pace established in the practice sessions.

The challenge will be wide open with some uncertainty about the weather and the role of Valentino Rossi, 7th on the grid equaling worst result of the season at Indianapolis. A real “shot back” allowed him to gain half a second on his last lap certainty of finding the entire third row also tricolor with Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli, but still behind Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies and Randy found a De Puniet from 4th to 6th on the grid.

Complete the top ten Hector Barbera, Alvaro Bautista can not do better than the 12th time with the only deployed Suzuki, Marco Melandri after tests in the wet to say the least convincing is found only at 14 ° in an unrecognizable Hiroshi Aoyama and Mika Kallio , 2 “from the top 5. For them it is ready the rain dance.

MotoGP World Championship 2010
Motorland Aragon Qualifying Standings

01 – Casey Stoner – Ducati Marlboro Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – 1’48 .942
02 – Jorge Lorenzo – Fiat Yamaha Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – 0309 +
03 – Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – 0401 +
04 – Nicky Hayden – Ducati Marlboro Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – 0564 +
05 – Ben Spies – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – 0623 +
06 – Randy De Puniet – LCR Honda – Honda RC212V – 1010 +
07 – Valentino Rossi – Fiat Yamaha Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – 1075 +
08 – Andrea Dovizioso – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – 1104 +
09 – Marco Simoncelli – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – 1146 +
10 – Hector Barbera – Paginas Amarillas Aspar – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – 1381 +
11 – Colin Edwards – Tech 3 Yamaha Monster – Yamaha YZR M1 – 1498 +
12 – Alvaro Bautista – Rizla Suzuki – Suzuki GSV-R – 1581 +
13 – Aleix Espargaro – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – 1595 +
14 – Marco Melandri – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – 1638 +
15 – Hiroshi Aoyama – Interwetten Honda – Honda RC212V – 1894 +
16 – Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – 2548 +

Qatar is still pushing ahead with plans to join the formula one calendar.

The Losail circuit already hosts a MotoGP night race, and earlier this year it emerged that modifications were taking place with the aim of also accommodating F1.

Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, president of Qatar’s Motor and Motorcycling Federation, said: “Hosting a formula one race is definitely in the strategic plan for Qatar.”

He said an FIA official has already inspected the circuit and was “impressed” with the work carried out.

“We have a great track and we are currently working on upgrading it to official (F1) specifications,” he told Gulf Weekly.

“We have already covered the standard requirements and we are three quarters through the project. We just have some minor changes and modifications to make.”

F1 already has Middle Eastern races in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

A spokesman for Bernie Ecclestone said the F1 chief executive’s office is awaiting details of Qatar’s proposal.