Pastor Maldonado responds to pay driver criticism – Formula 1 news
Pastor Maldonado has responded to his critics who labelled him as a pay driver by saying that his win at Spain has proved that he has the talent to be in Formula 1.
Maldonado was initially brought in to Williams admittedly by the owner of the team Sir Frank Williams as a pay driver who brought in around 27 million for the team. The sponsorship came through the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA . The company has supported
Maldonado throughout his career.
Although Maldonado is a GP2 champion he was still regarded as a pay driver. Frank Williams did however clear that even though the sponsorship was a reason to bring him in, the team would not have picked him if they did not have faith in his abilities.
It was a stunning display of skilful driving without falling prey to the pressure of having a world champions like Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen on your tail.
How Maldonado goes on to perform at Monaco will be crucial to his cause in proving that he is in fact a driver who can win races and not just a pay driver.
“I am very lucky to have such amazing support from Venezuela,” he said. “The finances I can bring have helped me reach Formula One but also help develop the car and that is crucial in being successful. I don't focus on these comments, preferring to do my
talking on the track and do the best job I can for the team. Hopefully my performance in Spain has shown that I have the talent to be one of the best drivers.”
While some have said that the reason behind fiver different winners to the five Grands Prix so far is because of the Pirelli tyres and the new regulations set by FIA, Maldonado feels that it is because of the driver talent on the grid in the season.
It has been one of the most competitive season in many years which is good for the sport as it gets boring if just one team or driver goes on to dominate the season the Venezuelan added.
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