His licence was revoked in May 2006, ending his short-lived F1 career. Analysis: Does Pastor Maldonado deserve his bad F1 reputation? Davidson: Maldonado WEC win his second best after Williams F1 victory, Ex-F1 driver Maldonado wants 'reset' after tough WEC debut at Spa, Ex-F1 driver Maldonado wants 'reset' after tough WEC debut at Spa Maldonado turned down uncompetitive F1 seat but return is possible, Pastor Maldonado hoped for F1 return after Nico Rosberg retirement, Pastor Maldonado hoped for F1 return after Nico Rosberg retirement In the Malaysian Grand Prix, he failed to reach Q2 in qualifying and again dropped out of the race. Damages the car after his second spin in Practice 1. Drivers' permanent numbers and the reasons behind them", "Pastor Maldonado hit with China grid drop and penalty points for Gutierrez crash", "Maldonado takes full blame for practice crash", "Pastor Maldonado still smiling despite latest qualifying nightmare at Spanish GP", "Hamilton beats Rosberg after thrilling finale in Spain", "Maldonado given medical check-up as a precaution after FP2 crash", "Jean-Eric Vergne time penalty for Grosjean clash re-promotes Maldonado to ninth", "Lewis Hamilton wins with ease in Australia as only 11 cars finish", "Penalty points given to Perez, Hulkenberg and Maldonado", "Jenson Button given time penalty and licence points for crash", "Pastor Maldonado claims his 'Crashtor' nickname is 'unlucky' and praises his 'big balls' in Formula One", "As it happened: Sunday Monaco Grand Prix", "No action over first lap crash in F1's British Grand Prix", "F1 mid-season report: From Mercedes to McLaren & Manor", "Nico Rosberg top as Pastor Maldonado crashes", "Lotus: 17G impact triggered Maldonado's Spa retirement", "Maldonado refuses blame for Spa exit - F1 News", "Mark Webber says some drivers on 2015 grid not good enough for F1", "Lotus F1 team confirms Pastor Maldonado for 2016 season", "F1 faces farewell to Crashtor and Prang-ster Pastor Maldonado", "Pastor Maldonado: Why F1 will miss 'Crashtor', "Lotus confirma a Pastor Maldonado para 2016", "Pastor Maldonado anuncia su adis a la Frmula 1", "Renault vuelve a la Frmula 1 con Magnussen y Palmer", "Maldonado comenz las pruebas con los neumticos Pirelli de 2017", "Maldonado ha gi iniziato i test con le Pirelli 2017 su una GP2", "Pastor Maldonado podra llegar a la IndyCar", "Pastor Maldonado correr el WEC con DragonSpeed", "Venezuela F1 driver flies flag for socialist Chavez", "Maldonado backing unaffected by Chavez death", "Pastor Maldonado, Williams with his wife Gabriele Tarkany and their baby daughter Victoria", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pastor_Maldonado&oldid=1152197107, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers, Articles containing potentially dated statements from December 2022, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 19:51. Hungary 2015 race. Seriously, I think that we have been very unfair! Belgian GP: Pastor Maldonado says F1 practice crash 'very unlucky', Criticism now part of Lotus F1 driver Pastor Maldonado's life, Criticism now part of Lotus F1 driver Pastor Maldonado's life Runs off the road and damages the car in Practice 2. Jumps the start and receives a penalty for doing so. Over the last four years Maldonado has been involved in a string of incidents, and has received more penalties than any other driver, giving him a reputation Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado celebrates his 36th birthday today. [85], At the Singapore Grand Prix, Maldonado ran off track, and when he rejoined he and Button collided. Pastor Maldonado says Max Verstappen went too far in Austrian GP. Hunt the Shunt earns an honourable mention on our list for his dangerous escapades, which would result in him either taking the win or crashing. Maldonado is a GP2 champion and a Grand Prix winner who can deliver strong results in decent machinery. He should be in a demolition derby. He encapsulated the win or die-trying attitude, and while he was not necessarily more accident-prone than his peers, when he did crash, it tended to be spectacular as were his resulting tantrums. Collides with Jules Bianchi and spins on lap 15. At the Belgian Grand Prix Maldonado received a further three penalties. The 34-year old has built himself a reputation in Formula One and in junior series, as a crash king. Later in the race is given a third penalty for speeding under the safety car. After all, Maldonado has been a winner at every level of motorsport, includingneed we say it againF1. If others dont want to drive against him all they have to do is stay clear for a couple laps and hell crash out of position. Former Williams driver Maldonado scored the teams most recent victory in 2012 but earned a reputation for bizarre incidents. Its one thing to collide accidentally with a rival, but its another to intentionally crash into them after the heat of the moment has passed. In 2010, he won the GP2 championship over Sergio Perez, Jules Bianchi and several other future F1 drivers. His misadventures have triggered countless parodies, memes, and even a website called hasmaldonadocrashedtoday.com. Dont forget the single-car crash at T3 in the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix! Collides with Kamui Kobayashi on lap 32, runs off track and picks up a puncture. [78] At the midpoint of the season, the BBC journalist Andrew Benson rated Maldonado as the worst driver to that point, and stated that he "seems to be trying his utmost to find new ways to infuriate his employers and collect as many penalty points from the stewards as possible. Pastor Maldonado is a decent enough driver, but his career has been marred by a series of crashes. Stay in the know with our newsletters that contain all the latest news, stories and event information. In the week following the announcement that Maldonado would not remain with the Williams team in 2014, Maldonado accused his team of sabotage at the United States Grand Prix.[56]. Austria 2015 race. The next year, he was outshone by rookie team-mate Valtteri Bottas before moving to Lotus for 2014 and 2015, where he was again upstaged by his team-mate, Romain Grosjean. Collides with Adrian Sutil and damages the car on lap 1. He is the sort of driver who keeps the throttle open when an accident starts so that it can only finish in the barriers. Renault working on Maldonado's F1 future with Venezuelan backers, Renault reunion will be easier than 2014 F1 season - Maldonado, Renault reunion will be easier than 2014 F1 season - Maldonado He won the Italian title, with eight wins and six pole positions from seventeen starts. Spins at Turn 6 and beaches the car in Practice 1. However, he had to miss the final four rounds of the season after breaking a collarbone during training, leaving him outside the championship top 10.[19]. Campos team principal Adrin Campos said that Bruno Senna's team mate could be Pedro de la Rosa, Vitaly Petrov or Maldonado,[25] but the team's financial problems and change of ownership changed the situation, and Karun Chandhok got the drive. Look. Maldonado eventually finished sixteenth, a lap down on winner Mark Webber. He is a reckless driver with a dangerous unsporting attitude and his bad reputation is entirely deserved. On lap 56 (the penultimate lap of the race), Maldonado was battling with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton for third place, however Hamilton forced Maldonado off the track at turn 12 and Maldonado returned to track and collided with Hamilton in turn 13, with Maldonado losing steering on the high curbs. [16] Draco Racing lodged an appeal and the results of the championship remained provisional until Italy's National Court of Appeal for Motorsport upheld the stewards' decision at a hearing in January 2007. This website is simple but it still has me chuckling. I think I have the big balls to cross the limit every time. He was also the most reprimanded Formula One driver in 2012, a clear 5 points ahead of his nearest rival, Michael Schumacher. In fact, when theyre flying around convoluted circuits at speeds in excess of 150mph the slightest loss of concentration could have very serious repercussions. Pastor Maldonado rejects Jenson Button's Singapore GP criticism, Lotus F1 team confirms Pastor Maldonado for 2016 season, Lotus F1 team confirms Pastor Maldonado for 2016 season Maldonado drove for the Rapax Team in the 2010 GP2 Series alongside Luiz Razia. He was nicknamed "Crashtor" and a website called Has Maldonado Crashed Today? At the Bahrain Grand Prix, Maldonado collided with Esteban Gutirrez after making a pit stop, causing Gutirrez's car to roll. Pastor Maldonado expects 'great things' from Renault F1 revival, Pastor Maldonado rejects Jenson Button's Singapore GP criticism, Pastor Maldonado rejects Jenson Button's Singapore GP criticism Maldonado claims he was "very close" to a Ferrari F1 deal for 2014, Le Mans 24 Hours: Pastor Maldonado crash causes long safety car, Le Mans 24 Hours: Pastor Maldonado crash causes long safety car Asked whether he considered he former team-mate a fair and clean driver, Zuber said, "He was very hard when you fight man-to-man, but never really unfair.". [87] Soon after the incident, Lotus confirmed that Maldonado would drive for the team in 2016. In Hungary Maldonado lost control of his Lotus while heading to the grid, and in the race he crashed in to Jules Bianchi when attempting an overtake. [36] He retired due to an accident at the start of the race, when he ran into the back of Pedro de la Rosa's HRT who also retired with rear wing damage. Use motorsport.com without any advertising banners, personalized tracking and commercials for a small fee. Maldonado recently lost his race seat at Lotus when the team was bought by Renault. The next year came that magical, out-of-nowhere victory in Spain. Kevin Magnussen set to replace Pastor Maldonado at Renault F1 team, Renault working on Maldonado's F1 future with Venezuelan backers, Renault working on Maldonado's F1 future with Venezuelan backers Maldonado spun out in the race after 24 laps and consequently retired. He famously set the record for the most races entered without a win. Despite this, he managed to get back in the battle for the points, because of the high attrition in the race and two safety car periods, when he caught up the cars in front of him. So, I think that his only victory was also an accident. Receives a drive through penalty for ignoring blue flags. [8], In November 2004, Maldonado was given an opportunity to test with the Minardi Formula One team at Misano in Italy. Davidson, Maldonado switch from DragonSpeed to Jota for '19/20, Davidson: Maldonado WEC win his second best after Williams F1 victory, Davidson: Maldonado WEC win his second best after Williams F1 victory Ex-F1 driver Maldonado wants 'reset' after tough WEC debut at Spa, Ex-F1 racer Pastor Maldonado surprised by WEC LMP2 car performance, Ex-F1 racer Pastor Maldonado surprised by WEC LMP2 car performance [70] At the Chinese Grand Prix, Maldonado suffered a brake issue that caused him to go off-track when entering the pits, and had to be recovered by the marshals. Barcelona F1 test: Pastor Maldonado fastest for Lotus, Visit motorsport.com as usual with advertising and tracking. Pastor Maldonado: 2015 Lotus Formula 1 car 'not that bad', Maldonado: Lotus must learn from tough 2014 Formula 1 season, Maldonado: Lotus must learn from tough 2014 Formula 1 season He was also disqualified from a GP2 race for disregarding marshals instructions which suggests he doesnt think rationally behind the wheel. Maldonado celebrates his only F1 win, at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. Maldonado also received 14 penalties throughout the season, five ahead of Sergio Prez and Michael Schumacher, Maldonado's grid penalties for both driving offences and gearbox changes totaled to 38 grid places, 1.8 per race. In Germany, Maldonado qualified a strong sixth in the wet qualifying, however he lost pace from lap 12 of the race when he hit debris which damaged his car, and finished the race in fifteenth. [44] He then jumped the start of the race, and was deemed to cause a collision with Marussia's Timo Glock, resulting in two separate 5-place grid penalties, so was demoted by 10 places in Monza. [48] He kept third place at the start and was running at the same pace as cars around him until his KERS unit failed after the first safety car period of the race. Maldonado retired from his first race, the Australian Grand Prix, due to transmission problems. Venezuelan racing driver Pastor Maldonado is pretty much a fan favourite, albeit for a different reason. A puncture ended his race in Bahrain, after he qualified in seventeenth position. At the Spanish Grand Prix he reached Q3 for the first time, eventually qualifying in ninth position for the race. Maldonado takes out Esteban Gutierrez at the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix. Maldonado was born on 9 March 1985 in Maracay, Venezuela. By Ricciardo - /5 - RATE QUIZ MORE INFO Classic Best Score? Registered at Goodwood House, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0PX. Maldonado was eleventh in the World Championship on 29 points as Formula One entered a five-week summer break, with his only points finishes coming from his win in Spain and eighth in China. He moved to the Piquet Sports team for 2008, his second year in the series. Maldonado's and Hamiltons spat continued in Belgium, when the Williams man deliberately drove into the Brit after qualifying, and earned himself a five-place grid penalty. Formula 1. Prez also called for the stewards to take tough action against Maldonado. In Russia, he started in 14th position. On behalf of Marty Porter who sourced & wrote it youre most welcome! In the end, he finished 8th. 1985-03-09 (age 38), Save and / or retrieve information on a device, Ensure security, prevent fraud and correct errors, Provide advertisements or content technically, Use market research to gain insights about target groups, Receive and use automatically sent device properties for identification, Actively query device properties for identification. F1 must seek answers after boring Baku F1 race, says Wolff, Cadillac Eau Rouge WEC shunt was "almost out of a movie scene", Cadillac Eau Rouge WEC shunt was "almost out of a movie scene" [75] Despite the damage, Maldonado did not lose pace and was initially able to continue in seventh place; however, during his pitstop the team deemed the damage to be substantial enough to retire the car. Reached by email, Zuber described Maldonado as "super-quick." He scored his first points of the season by finishing eighth in China. With so many talented young driverslike Stoffel Vandoorne and Pascal Wehrleinwaiting for drives, Maldonado is not going to earn another drive based on his performances over the last five years. In a season that was marked by controversy Maldonado could have won the title were it not for a disqualification from first place at Misano for a technical infringement. [61] At the Spanish Grand Prix Maldonado crashed into the wall in the first part of qualifying. And 2012 Brazilian GP, after a brilliant first lap, he binned it at Turn 3. He almost loses control driving straight on a dry track. Pastor Maldonado was eliminated from Belgian GP by 17G kerb impact, Pastor Maldonado's Belgian GP retirement was self-inflicted - Lotus, Pastor Maldonado's Belgian GP retirement was self-inflicted - Lotus 1M views 7 years ago. His crash-happy nature continued into the premiere series of racing, with the then 26-year-old colliding with Lewis Hamilton at Monaco, before spinning out of the Canada race and then deliberately sideswiping Hamilton during qualifying at Spa, for which he received a five-place grid penalty. Since at the time there was no proper category for his age, he competed against kids that were 10-12 year old. He once again managed to get into Q3 in India, but a mistake on his final attempt left him 9th on the grid. Sadly, he died as he lived, crashing his motorcycle in Rome in October 2014. Receives a drive through penalty for doing so. Maldonado blamed Hamilton for the incident,[39] however the stewards gave Maldonado a 20-second time penalty which dropped Maldonado out of the points to twelfth position. British Grand Prix Top 4 Most Expensive European F1 Races, Win Lewis Hamilton Spanish GP Special Edition Cap, Win Lewis Hamilton China GP Special Edition Cap. For causing the incident, Maldonado was given a ten-second stop-go penalty during the race, and after the race, three points on his FIA Super Licence, and a five-place grid penalty for the Chinese Grand Prix. Does Maldonado deserve his reputation, or is it simply too easy to single him out? whatever youd like to call it. As a result, he was banned from four races in the series and barred for life from the Principality, a punishment that his father reportedly overturned by paying for the marshals treatment. Receives a 30 second penalty for continuing to ignore blue flags. Review his driving record below and make your own decision. Criticism now part of Lotus F1 driver Pastor Maldonado's life, Lotus F1 expecting "great things" from Maldonado after break, Lotus F1 expecting "great things" from Maldonado after break While not the most prolific crasher to make our list, Yuji Ide is the only entrant to have lost his FIA Super Licence as a result of his poor driving. Maldonado was later penalised for his role in the incident. They finished third in their category in the championship. coming out of a slip stream on a straight behind Verstappen, he almost loses it. [29][30] In addition to his on-track record, Maldonado also brought sponsorship from the Venezuelan government (through the state-owned PDVSA oil company) to the team.[31]. Pastor Maldonado hoped for F1 return after Nico Rosberg retirement, Pastor Maldonado working on plan B for 2017 if F1 impossible, Pastor Maldonado working on plan B for 2017 if F1 impossible Ex-F1 racer Pastor Maldonado surprised by WEC LMP2 car performance, Ex-F1 driver Pastor Maldonado secures WEC LMP2 seat for 2018/19, Ex-F1 driver Pastor Maldonado secures WEC LMP2 seat for 2018/19 [72] At the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Maldonado parked his car in the wrong grid slot, and accordingly, was given a 5-second time penalty. Pastor Maldonado 'very, very annoying' - Sauber F1 boss Kaltenborn, Maldonado penalty for Ericsson Interlagos clash 'harsh', says Lotus, Maldonado penalty for Ericsson Interlagos clash 'harsh', says Lotus [71] On lap 49, Maldonado was hit by Jenson Button in a braking zone and spun; Maldonado was later forced to retire. Lotus F1 team confirms Pastor Maldonado for 2016 season, Singapore GP: Button labels Maldonado's driving 'very strange', Singapore GP: Button labels Maldonado's driving 'very strange' Crashes in the pitlane entry in Practice 2. [13], Maldonado secured a full-time drive in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with Draco Racing in 2006. Top 10 F1 one-hit wonders ranked: Alesi, Maldonado and more, Maldonado claims he was "very close" to a Ferrari F1 deal for 2014, Maldonado claims he was "very close" to a Ferrari F1 deal for 2014 Before he entered Formula 1 as one of the series oldest rookies at 31, Ide won two kart championships, Japans Formula Dream series and the Super Endurance Race Class 3 Series, plus a handful of podium places. Crashes into the barrier at Turn 9 by himself in Practice 2. In the race, he was running strongly until he crashed out on the final lap, fighting with Fernando Alonso for fifth position. Pastor Maldonado shrugs off criticism from F1 fans, Pastor Maldonado is better than he gets credit for says Lotus team, Pastor Maldonado is better than he gets credit for says Lotus team At Silverstone Maldonado again collided with Esteban Gutirrez, launching his car spectacularly into the air although he was able to finish the race. Pastor Maldonado calm about future if Renault swings F1 axe, Pastor Maldonado was eliminated from Belgian GP by 17G kerb impact, Pastor Maldonado was eliminated from Belgian GP by 17G kerb impact Hits a bollard entering the pitlane and receives a drive through penalty. [4] Cram Competition also entered one round of the German Formula Renault Championship at Oschersleben. This followed a similar WSR incident where he crashed heavily into a stationery car under red flag conditions. It was reported that the incident justified Lotus's decision to save their sole example of a new front-wing design they had brought to this race for his team-mate Romain Grosjean. Taki Inoue is a bit of an odd one. Maldonado had a questionable driving record before he even reached Formula One. As well as numerous accidents throughout the junior categories he was given a four race ban in the World Series by Renault for ignoring yellow flags and causing an accident that injured a marshal. Can I just mention that Maldonado has recently been in the press stating he is undervalued in this sport. Receives a penalty for doing so. Please contact us if you would like to use our content. 2008 G. Pantano Collided with teammate Grosjean and damaged his rear wing. He is then penalised for speeding through the pits whilst serving that penalty with another drive through penalty. Im quite sure he could have come off the accelerator, scooped the car up and probably saved $100,000s worth of damage over the length of his career. Barcelona F1 test: Maldonado fastest, Wolff and Nasr collide, Jerez F1 test: Pastor Maldonado calls 2015 Lotus totally different, Jerez F1 test: Pastor Maldonado calls 2015 Lotus totally different However, he continued, the Venezuelan's win, "certainly proves beyond all doubt that he deserves his place in F1, even if one inevitably has to wonder what the Williams would be capable of with [Fernando] Alonso or [Lewis] Hamilton behind the wheel.". He started the season with promising pace, qualifying eighth for the Australian Grand Prix. Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance. [97], Maldonado became a test driver for Pirelli, testing a GP2 car for 2017, to be able to develop the tires of the season. Ex-F1 driver Pastor Maldonado secures WEC LMP2 seat for 2018/19, Maldonado turned down uncompetitive F1 seat but return is possible, Maldonado turned down uncompetitive F1 seat but return is possible [67] At the Australian Grand Prix, Maldonado was hit by Felipe Nasr and crashed out of the race at the second corner of the first lap after he overtook 3 cars at the start and was in 6th position. Maldonado penalty for Ericsson Interlagos clash 'harsh', says Lotus, Lotus F1 team capable of 'fighting' Ferrari - Pastor Maldonado, Lotus F1 team capable of 'fighting' Ferrari - Pastor Maldonado Lotus F1 Team's Pastor Maldonado eyeing first 2015 points in Monaco, Lotus F1 Team's Pastor Maldonado eyeing first 2015 points in Monaco Pastor Maldonado says F1 crash criticism doesn't bother him, Pastor Maldonado denies his F1 funding is in jeopardy, Pastor Maldonado denies his F1 funding is in jeopardy Gets hit by Felipe Nasr, keeps the throttle open, and spins into the wall on lap 1. Wins 1 Grand Prix Pit garage bursts into flames! Competition WIN a George Russell Graphic T-shirt. Made contact with Massa and damaged his front wing forcing him an early pit. Or not I dont think the BBC have enough budget for car repairs if he took that role. Maldonado received a drive-through penalty for "causing an avoidable collision" in an overtaking move on Force India's Paul di Resta for twelfth; he dropped behind di Resta after the penalty and finished thirteenth. The result, he is one of the quickest and best liked drivers in F1 today. Mistakenly lined up in 18th position on the starting grid. Pastor Maldonado, I was further informed, had not crashed since the first lap of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 15 March.