F1 Thread

[RichC]

Where is Maldonado going for next season? I'm sort of hoping he doesn't end up with a drive.

[G]

Sauber so the rumour goes.

[Chazza]

I see Perez has been given the boot by McLaren being replaced by a 21 year old development driver.

[RichC]

I knew they were thinking about it but didn't realise it's happened!

I wonder if Perez might head back to Sauner then as he brings sponsorship with him as well.

[Chazza]

Linked with Force India

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/24903504

[RichC]

Ahhhh that also makes sense.

I'm not sure he's quick enough to be at a top manufacturer

[Daniel 7]

I remember his dad being touted as a future world champion and superstar in the making. He was put in the worst McLaren car in a generation and was eaten up, chewed up and spat out - F1 career over.

Now his son! ****, getting old.

[G]

Has it actually happened?

I've just this minute finished reading a Whitmarsh interview where he says they don't have any announcements to make yet although all the indications are he's a goner.

[Daniel 7]

Yeah too much talk for it to only be a rumour. He's gone! I think it came too soon for him - he's clearly got talent but the whole thing smacked of an Andy Carroll style panic signing after Lewis decided to leave.

[RichC]

Well shot of this guy IMO

Maldonado 'happy' to leave Williams



Pastor Maldonado says he is "happy" to be leaving Williams, following the team's decision to sign Felipe Massa.

The Venezuelan has split with Williams after three years with the team, which included one win in Spain last year but poor years in bad cars in 2011 and '13.

"I wanted to leave the team and I'm happy about that," Maldonado said.

"It's been a tough year, very hard for the whole team, but personally I want to drive something different. This is an important time in my career."

Highlights - Spanish Grand Prix 2012
Maldonado said leaving Williams, who gave him his F1 debut, was "a tough decision - my decision - but a great one".

The 28-year-old's relationship with Williams is linked to the team's sponsorship deal with the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, which started in 2011 on a five-year contract worth £30m a year.

But Maldonado and PDVSA both wanted to leave the team and Williams were also keen to move on with a new driver and sponsor.

They have come to a settlement that will end the PDVSA association by mutual consent.

In 2012, Williams had their best season for years, which included Maldonado qualifying in the top 10 on 13 occasions, seven of them in the top six.

But Maldonado squandered several potential strong points finishes with errors and accidents - after his win in Spain he did not finish in the points for the next nine races.

And this season they are poised for the worst year in their history. They have scored only one point, for Maldonado's 10th place in Hungary, and are ninth in the constructors' championship with two races to go.

Maldonado said: "Overall, I feel I delivered more to the team than they did for me.


Team: Williams
Previous teams: None
Born: 10 March 1985, Maracay, Venezuela
Career wins: 1
Career pole positions: 1
2013 points: 1

"We had a victory, some good results last year, and even this year we've done well in some races, but this is not everything.

"I'm waiting and expecting something more from Formula 1."

Maldonado is hoping to go to Lotus, although that team would prefer to take Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg for 2014.

The decision may depend on whether a mooted investment deal by Lotus, which has been rumbling on for several months, comes to fruition.

Maldonado can take his PDVSA sponsorship to his next team and Lotus may be forced to take him if the investment deal does not come off. His other options are Sauber and Force India.

Maldonado said: "At the moment nothing's signed [with another team]. We're working on things. We're talking with Lotus, and I've another couple of options.

"I hope soon to have a clear decision with everything all sorted, and a clear road for next year.

"The important thing for me is to be in Formula 1," said Maldonado.

"Of the young drivers I'm the only one who has won a race, so I can deliver a lot.

"Last year I was always competitive, but because of the condition of the car I've had this year, everyone has forgotten my talent, the results and where we were last year.

"But I 100% believe in my talent. I've won all the categories in the past, and I hope to win in Formula 1 again next year."

[Daniel 7]

Malonado is rubbish. Their decision to go with him and Senna / Bottas set them back years. They are effectively a new team, reset to zero and starting over. Such a shame, but a lot of it is through their own bad decision making.

[RichC]

I know he brings sponsorship with him but with comments like this you'd imagine other teams will be seriously thinking he's too much of a risk to take on.

US GP: Williams reject Pastor Maldonado sabotage claim

Williams have rejected claims from their driver Pastor Maldonado that they sabotaged his car in United States Grand Prix qualifying.

Maldonado, who is leaving Williams at the end of the season, qualified 18th with team-mate Valtteri Bottas ninth.

Maldonado said: "I think someone is playing with the [tyre] pressure and temperatures in my car."

Deputy team principal Claire Williams said: "Never in Williams's history would we ever do anything like that."

Vettel's US Grand Prix pole lap
Maldonado's remarks were the latest in a series of critical comments the Venzuelan has made since arriving in Austin ahead of this race.

Earlier, he said he was "happy" to be leaving Williams and that "I think I delivered more to the team than they did for me."

Williams said: "Qualifying is a big adrenaline rush for drivers and so I'm not surprised by that people say things after these kind of situations.

"We will go back and talk to the engineers and find out what happened."

She insisted: "Within the team, behind closed doors, it's not acrimonious.

"There's not that kind of atmosphere in the team. I don't see any sort of issue.

"Pastor has said he wants to go to another team and that's absolutely fine - this is Formula 1. It's the nature of the beast."

Maldonado was eliminated out in the first part of the F1 three-part knock-out qualifying session in Austin. He was 1.5secs slower than Bottas, who was fastest overall.

Maldonado wins Spanish Grand Prix 2012
Bottas said Maldonado had "struggled a bit with the temperature in the tyres", adding that a good performance was "all about getting the 'option' [faster] tyres to work in the correct [operating] window".

Williams have no reason to deliberately slow down one of their cars. In fact, it would be nonsensical to do so.

The team are ninth in the constructors' championship with only one point with two races remaining, and the final one in Brazil has notoriously unpredictable weather.

That means scoring points is critical to them to prevent any possibility of being overtaken by either Marussia or Caterham, and slipping to 10th place overall, to the cost of several million pounds in prize money.

[Camble]

Some people, including myself haha, would give their right bollock to be in his position.

He's a **** driver and a total bellend.

[RichC]

My god this sport is dying on it's arse at the moment.

[Daniel 7]

Its not even a sport anymore. Its an entertainment experience that isn't even delivering on entertainment. Its all about the venues and their aspirational glamour rather than competition. Look at Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Monaco - nobody overtakes! Its just a fake procession against a dramatic backdrop.

We were talking about the Senna / Mansell drag down to the first corner in Spain in 91 today. That would never happen nowadays, the jaw dropping excitement and bravery is gone. Someone would just press their KERS and DRS and wave as they went past the car they were behind. Pathetic. Its just fake.