Over the years, a select group of Formula 1 drivers have left their mark on the sport by becoming something of a cult hero. The reasons for earning such a tag can vary; perhaps they pulled off an against-the-odds result, had a driving style that made them a hit with fans, or coupled their on-track exploits with a memorable personality off it.<\/p>\n
One name that has frequently been attached to the label \u2013 and ticks all of the above boxes \u2013 is Pastor Maldonado. While he only competed in the sport for five seasons, the Venezuelan remains a popular figure amongst fans thanks to his determined approach to racing and an unforgettable underdog victory.<\/p>\n
In the first of our Cult Heroes features, F1.com chats to Maldonado about his time in Formula 1, the roots of his passionate driving style, and how it feels to still be a cult hero to fans \u2013 both old and new \u2013 more than 10 years after his last race\u2026<\/p>\n
Arriving in F1 after a \u2018very tough\u2019 early career<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the most valuable thing is the people surrounding Formula 1, from the fans to the team principals and drivers, but also all the team members,\u201d says Pastor Maldonado as he reflects on how current-day F1 compares to his own stint in the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the teams are looking for mechanics, technicians, engineers, they are the best, and the best not only in terms of quality but in terms of passion, because what runs Formula 1 is the passion. And I think this passion didn\u2019t change from my time to today.\u201d<\/p>\n
It seems a fitting statement for a driver known for his spirited approach to racing during his five years in Formula 1, the now 41-year-old having spent three campaigns with Williams<\/a> between 2011 and 2013 before a two-season stint for the Lotus team.<\/p>\n But long before that, Maldonado\u2019s passion for the sport started after being immersed in the motoring world from a young age in his native Venezuela, where his family ran a business in the automotive industry.<\/p>\n One of their car dealerships was positioned opposite a go-kart track and, as Maldonado recalls, \u201cIt caught my attention. I wanted to go there \u2013 I was asking my parents to take me there every day.\u201d Eventually he got his wish and never looked back from there, going on to move to Italy at the age of 12 to further pursue racing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a very tough career, because in my country Formula 1 and motorsport is not that popular,\u201d Maldonado says of his route to F1.<\/p>\n \u201cI tried to work hard not only on the track but also outside of the track, to learn from the technical point of view how the car worked but also to train myself physically, just to be at the top of the top of the top.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it was a very long career before Formula 1 \u2013 it wasn\u2019t easy, it wasn\u2019t simple, but personally I was 100 per cent convinced of my skills, 100 per cent convinced of my family\u2019s support and the country\u2019s support.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd year after year, we created the passion to follow, that maybe Pastor Maldonado will reach Formula 1 one day, so every day we found more and more support, and then we did it.\u201d<\/p>\n That moment came when, after progressing through the ranks \u2013 and winning the GP2 Championship in 2010 \u2013 Maldonado secured his F1 debut with the Williams team for the 2011 season.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, it was amazing for me and for my career because I came from a small country like Venezuela and my first team was Williams, so I stepped into Formula 1 with a very historic and special team who stay with me forever in my heart,\u201d he reflects.<\/p>\n \u201cThey became my family at the time and I knew it was like living a dream, but at the same time [I was] fully committed to bring them back to the top.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018I was always driven by my passion\u2019<\/p>\n It was arguably that commitment to the cause that would turn Maldonado into one of F1\u2019s cult heroes. From the early stages of his career, the driver from Maracay soon earned a reputation for a determined driving style, appearing fearless when it came to battling on the track \u2013 even going head-to-head with World Champion Lewis Hamilton<\/a> during his first campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople many times said that I was an aggressive driver, in all of my career,\u201d says Maldonado. \u201cEveryone is different \u2013 every driver has their style, their approach on the track, not only technically on track and in terms of skills but also in terms of approach.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you need to value the conditions of every driver, and my condition back at the time was that I needed to perform, otherwise there would be no more support for me, so I was always trying to deliver my best with passion. In the car I was always driven by my passion and delivering my 100 per cent.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I became a Formula 1 fan in the late 1980s or early 1990s, I always followed Ayrton Senna<\/a>, Alain Prost<\/a>, these big battles in Formula 1. And what made Formula 1 special to me was these kinds of battles \u2013 I was living and dreaming to fight in the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n Maldonado admits that racing with an uncompetitive car at times could prove \u201cvery frustrating\u201d, leaving him determined to try to salvage something positive: \u201cI always said to myself, \u2018You always can deliver and you can do things different \u2013 if you are last on the grid, you can become second to last. If you are P11, you can go for P10.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cI was always looking to turn things around and to deliver more, and to look for an opportunity during the race. Sometimes it didn\u2019t work, but at least I came back home saying, \u2018I did my best. I feel good with myself because I tried something different, to be in the points and to bring something else to the team.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cIn my career I was criticised sometimes because of my approach, but imagine having an approach of starting in your place and finishing in your place \u2013 why [do] that? If I can deliver more, if I can go after a better place or performing better\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, sometimes you need to take some risks to achieve something in your life, and I took all the risks necessary to achieve a different result. Sometimes it worked, most of the time, and sometimes it didn\u2019t work. It was a little bit polemic, my approach, but I really enjoyed [my time in F1].\u201d<\/p>\n Being \u2018fully ready\u2019 for a spectacular victory<\/p>\n At the heart of that determination was a clear goal for Maldonado, one that is likely shared by all Formula 1 drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I was looking to become a World Champion, but I never had the chance, the facilities, the best team or the best car to fight for the championship,\u201d he concedes. \u201cThe only time I had the chance to win a race, I was fully ready, and I showed how ready and prepared I was that day.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, that day arrived at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, a weekend that has earned Maldonado a place in Formula 1 history for securing one of the great underdog victories and has arguably further cemented his status as a cult hero.<\/p>\n After ending Friday\u2019s second practice session outside of the top 10 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the fortunes of Williams \u2013 whose best result during the prior four races that season had been a P6 \u2013 looked to have improved on Saturday following the addition of a new aerodynamic package on the car, an upgrade that left Maldonado with a \u201cvery good feeling\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI said to the team that we should run this package, because I was feeling a difference,\u201d he picks up the story. \u201cWe\u2019d been top three in FP3 and we saw that we still had a lot of margin, and we were quite confident.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it was a tough decision to run this package during that weekend, because everything was new \u2013 we didn\u2019t test it enough and we didn\u2019t complete the normal mileage that the teams used to complete before putting this kind of package on for a race. We had an internal discussion for two hours, from my side just trying to push as much as possible to the team owners.\u201d<\/p>\n It was subsequently decided prior to Qualifying that the package would stay for the session and Sunday\u2019s race, with Maldonado saying of this decision: \u201cThat was an extra motivation for me, that the team followed my proposal, and I felt the responsibility to show them and to show also to myself, to my fans, to my country, to Formula 1, that I have the skills to fight the top guys.<\/p>\n That confidence was bolstered when he secured pole position, a feat that Maldonado puts down to utilising \u201cone of my skills, to put it all together in one lap\u201d \u2013 but he admits that there was a lingering sense of \u201ctension\u201d ahead of Sunday\u2019s Grand Prix \u201cbecause we knew we did not have the best car\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a race, you need to put the 100 per cent in for two hours and many laps, and at such a difficult track like Barcelona,\u201d explains Maldonado. \u201cIt\u2019s very demanding for the tyres, very demanding physically, for the car.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I was extremely calm, I was extremely ready. I said to myself, \u2018I\u2019ve been winning in all the different categories. I had surrounded myself with the top drivers of the world, today is one more day for me and I need to do what I know how to do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n After initially being overtaken at the start by the Ferrari<\/a> of Fernando Alonso<\/a>, Maldonado did not lose heart and stayed on the tail of the two-time World Champion. During the second round of pit stops, Williams brought their driver in first \u2013 and, following a strong out-lap, they had secured the lead when Alonso pitted two laps later.<\/p>\n As the laps ticked down, however, Maldonado faced pressure from a chasing Alonso \u2013 but, ever determined, the Venezuelan held his nerve.<\/p>\n \u201cFernando is a very tough driver \u2013 even today, to have Fernando on your back, he is someone who puts a lot of pressure on,\u201d says Maldonado. \u201cHe is a proper racer. He\u2019s very quick in the race, very intelligent \u2013 he knows how to manage. I needed to use an extra skill to manage Fernando, to keep him back, and at the end we did it.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was amazing for the team, amazing for my country, for myself. That day completely changed my life and also the life of Williams, because we found more sponsors to finish the year. We did an amazing season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe scored many points that season \u2013 we were off the podium many times just because of failures on the car, but I was always fighting for the top three after Barcelona. That was my best year in Formula 1, so I really enjoyed the experience but also because I was with the Williams team.\u201d<\/p>\n Battling with five World Champions<\/p>\n That life-changing day undoubtedly remains the standout highlight of Maldonado\u2019s F1 career, the scene of an unforgettable scrap with Alonso \u2013 and, when asked if there were any other moments that felt particularly special to him during his time in the sport, the former Williams racer admits that it was his duels with drivers of this calibre that he remembers the most fondly.<\/p>\n \u201cI had many battles, but for sure Barcelona 2012 with Fernando Alonso was a remarkable one for my career because I told the people around me, \u2018I want to fight with him, because he is the best,\u2019\u201d Maldonado explains.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to fight with the best on the track, especially in the race. To beat him with Williams \u2013 not with an equal car \u2013 was such a big pleasure and big satisfaction for myself, but also for my family and the people around me.<\/p>\n \u201cI had so many nice battles. I battled with Lewis Hamilton, with Jenson Button<\/a>, with Kimi Raikkonen<\/a>, so many big champions \u2013 also with Michael Schumacher<\/a>. I always say to my friends that I\u2019ve been very lucky in the era that I raced, because I remember that I raced against five World Champions.<\/p>\n