Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Maldonado began karting at the age of seven and quickly moved into national competitions. At 14, in 1999, he relocated to Europe to advance his racing career. He continued karting in European series until 2002 while also beginning in car racing. He participated in various Formula Renault championships, achieving significant success by winning the Italian championship in 2004 with eight victories.

Nationality	Venezuelan
Born	Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta 9 March 1985 Maracay, Venezuela

This success earned him his first F1 test for Minardi at Misano at the end of 2004. In 2005, he joined Renault’s Driver Development Programme and competed in the World Series by Renault. However, his season was marred by a nine-race ban after he collided with a marshal during practice at Monaco, resulting in the marshal sustaining a broken back. He returned the following year and finished third in the championship for Draco. In 2007, he moved to GP2 with Trident and won the Monaco round.

In 2008, Maldonado switched to Piquet Sports, finishing fifth in the championship. The following year, he joined top team ART alongside rookie Nico Hulkenberg. Despite winning twice, including the Monaco sprint race, he finished sixth while Hulkenberg won the title. He stayed in GP2 for 2010 with Piquet’s team, now renamed Rapax, and set a series record with six consecutive feature race wins, securing the title and testing opportunities with Williams and HRT. Williams signed him to replace Hulkenberg in 2011.

Williams

In 2011, driving one of Williams’ least competitive cars, Maldonado scored a single point in his first season. He showed promise, especially in qualifying, against experienced teammate Rubens Barrichello, earning a contract extension for 2012.

In 2012, Maldonado’s season started disappointingly when he crashed out of sixth place on the final lap of the 2012 Australian Grand Prix. However, the revised, Renault-engined car showed potential. In Spain, he inherited pole position from a penalised Lewis Hamilton and won his first race after a strategic battle with Fernando Alonso. Despite this breakthrough, he only scored points in one more race that season, marred by multiple collisions and penalties. He showed improved performances in Singapore and Abu Dhabi but ended the year with a crash in Brazil. Williams retained him for 2013.

In 2013, high hopes for the new car were dashed as the team struggled, and Maldonado only scored one point in Hungary. Wheel nut problems further hampered performance. Frustrated, Maldonado ended his contract with Williams and moved to Lotus F1 in 2014.

Lotus F1

Maldonado’s move to Lotus F1 in 2014 coincided with the team’s struggles with Renault’s power unit, leading to a challenging season marked by car issues and mistakes, including a collision with Esteban Gutierrez at Bahrain. His only points finish was at the Circuit of the Americas.

In 2015, with Lotus F1 now using Mercedes power units, the team was more competitive, but financial difficulties overshadowed the season. Maldonado was outperformed by teammate Romain Grosjean, who achieved the team’s only podium. Despite some points finishes, Maldonado’s penalties and the team’s financial woes highlighted his season, with his financial backing being a significant factor in his retention.