Top 5 notable moments of Pastor Maldonado in F1

5. Pastor to the rescue, Spain 2012

The 2012 Spanish Grand Prix went down in history as the day Pastor Maldonado defeated Fernando Alonso to sign a resounding success (read below). But a lesser known event allowed the Venezuelan to reveal his courage in a different way. Almost two hours after the checkered flag was lowered, an explosion was heard in the garage Williams. Thick smoke emerges.

Several teams come together to provide assistance, with fire extinguishers and water hoses. 31 people will be sent to the medical center for minor injuries and smoke inhalation. Two people will go to Barcelona hospital. Pastor Maldonado does not hesitate to enter the pit to rescue his nephew Manuel. Aged 12, he is handicapped by a broken foot. He will leave the stand on his uncle's back.

An investigation is open to determine the causes of this fire. The FIA, the organizers and the Guardia Civil are involved. The boss of the F1 Bernie Ecclestone explained a few weeks later that the fire was caused by a fault in the SREC (Energy Recovery System).

4. Belgian Grand Prix 2011

New to the world of F1 in 2011, Pastor Maldonado is not afraid of anyone. Not even Lewis Hamilton (McLaren). During qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), the two men came into contact:

Lewis Hamilton was on a flying lap while Pastor Maldonado prepared his Q3 time. The duo gets in each other's way, then after the Source hairpin, the Williams rushes towards the McLaren, until it crashes. Not very fair play. Lewis Hamilton receives a warning from the stewards while Pastor Maldonado is penalized five places on the grid. " I accept it. I didn’t do it on purpose, maybe it was a mistake on my part,” he justified.

3. 2013 United States Grand Prix

Pastor Maldonado is not the type to give up. The Venezuelan provides further proof of his rebellious temperament on the sidelines of the 2013 United States Grand Prix. Beaten soundly by his teammate Valtteri Bottas (9th) while he does not pass the threshold of Q1 (18th), he seethes and invokes a scenario worthy of a spy film.

In 2013, P. Maldonado only scored one point. © DPPI / E. Vargiolu

“I think someone in the team must have changed the tire pressure on my car. It's not very clear... But after this one, I only have one more race to compete for this team. It's difficult to explain my teammate's performance. You have to ask the team, the people who work on our cars. »

After these accusations of sabotage, which Williams obviously denies outright, the 2 GP2010 Series champions will make amends. “Sometimes you say more than you should”, he will admit.

2. Notes of crinkled carbon

We readily admit, it is difficult to select a particular blunder in Pastor Maldonado's career in Formula 1, as his track exits were so numerous. So here is a little anthology, much to the dismay of the bank accounts of Williams and Lotus:

These accidents never harmed the physical integrity of its pilot. His self-esteem, on the other hand...

1. 2012 Spanish Grand Prix

On the road to glory. © DPPI / F. Flamand

Criticism is easy, art is difficult. We like to sugarcoat the back of our dear Pastor, but let's remember that he has a victory in Formula 1, which many drivers cannot boast of! The Venezuelan is still damn deserving, because he managed to bring the fallen legend Williams back to the top of the podium. OK, this happened in circumstances that bordered on the supernatural, but the facts are there.

Return to Barcelona (Spain) in spring 2012. The start of the season is marked by an anthology of uncertainty in F1. The teams are going crazy because they no longer understand the behavior of the Pirelli tires and the sudden degradation. Seven different winners in as many events is unheard of.

Taking advantage of this maelstrom, Williams arrived on the Montmelo track with a fast FW34 but lacking endurance. In qualifying, there was amazement, with Pastor Maldonado's second best time, transformed into pole at the end of Saturday thanks to the downgrading of Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) for lack of fuel!

However, the Venezuelan's Q3 lap was not without missed ropes, understeer and spin. As long as it works... “I have a mission, it is to bring Williams back to the top of the peloton, the poleman proudly states. I will try to win. It’s a true honor to be part of this legendary team. »

The next day, the aficionados believed in their idol, Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). The Spaniard, with his vista, will make short work of the little South American, present on the grid thanks to the support of the oil company PDVSA. The Ferrari easily overtook the Williams when the lights went out.

However, the guy hangs on, until returning to the lead after the double world champion's second pit stop! “I think we surprised Ferrari by stopping for our 2nd pit-stop, on lap 24, analyzed Pastor Maldonado. We then had to manage the tires, not attack too much to keep them a little fresh at the end of the race. »

132 Grands Prix after the victory of Juan Pablo Montoya (in Brazil in 2004), Williams found the path to success. The party was going to be short-lived, with a fire in the stand (read above) and above all, the return of Pastor Maldonado to his guilty faults in the following round in Monaco...