In the round-up: It’s not just Fernando Alonso who’s making his World Endurance Championship race debut today – RaceFans caught up with Pastor Maldonado at Spa yesterday.
What they say
It’s a bit different, especially the size of the cars, the wheels are covered, so a completely different sensation. But the cars are pretty good to drive. They are proper racing cars with a lot of aero. So it’s good, I adapt myself quickly and I’m enjoy driving.
RF: Can you see yourself seeing out your motor racing career in WEC? Are you planning to return to F1?
Not at the moment. There is no point to go back.
RF: How did you get into this?
I spent two years with the family. I cooled down a little bit. I was travelled around the world, working, spent more time with the family. I went back to Venezuela, travelling a little bit. [Then] I said it’s time to go back. The series is quite good, the team is quite good, so…
RF: …you asked around and a deal came together?
Yes.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Today got a first look at a potential map for @F1 in @downtownMIA. Most of course is in the port with a loop around AAArena. Would you like to see #miami become a stop on the Formula One circuit? pic.twitter.com/sOY08hJ5yM
— Ken Russell Miami (@kenrussellmiami) May 3, 2018
Everyone please pray for my brother, he was in a big accident today. I love you a lot Pietro. You are a champion and you will be back in no time!! 🙏 @pifitti
–
Todos, por favor, orem pelo meu irmão, ele sofreu um grande acidente hoje. Eu te amo muito Pietro. Você é um campeão. pic.twitter.com/8xB39SFfh1— Enzo Fittipaldi (@enzofitti) May 4, 2018
Karting time 👍💯😜 pic.twitter.com/7eyvdwt1OC
— Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) May 4, 2018
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
More motor racing links of interest:
Agag makes 600 million euro bid for Formula E (Reuters)
"'I strongly believe in the future of Formula E and this offer is an expression of that confidence,' Agag wrote in the letter."
Force India sees Renault as a bigger threat than McLaren (Racer)
"I think we could have outraced McLaren on both recent occasions in Bahrain and China, it’s just first-lap incidents. Renault are looking very consistent and that’s probably going to be the harder one."
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Comment of the day
Vettel should be more concerned about missed opportunities to score more points this year, says Stewart:
I’m not sure Vettel should be quite so happy.
After Baku, the luck probably balances itself out, but Hamilton, despite not being at the top of his game, is still leading the championship. I suspect he can improve his performances more than Vettel can, and Ferrari aren’t necessarily the best at the development race. I think Hamilton and Mercedes probably have more upside from here.
I wonder if the need to make the most of his current advantage was at the back of Vettel’s mind when he launched himself up the inside of Bottas, instead of playing the percentage game.
Stewart
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thepostalserviceisbroke (@thepostalserviceisbroke)
5th May 2018, 0:32
Traducción: Nobody wants to hire me as a driver, so I’ll just pretend I don’t see a point in going back to F1.
dragoll (@dragoll)
5th May 2018, 3:17
I took that to mean that “No point to return to F1… I have already punted most of the drivers, mission accomplished”
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
5th May 2018, 12:28
“No point to return to F1…. They have filled my vacancy with Max now”
Mangy Black Sheep (@mangyblacksheep)
5th May 2018, 3:49
His reason is valid. Hard to see a point in going back to F1 when no team wants him.
Andrey Baydin (@minilemm)
5th May 2018, 9:00
No point coming back cos there’s a guy doing his job pretty well these days huh? :)
gus maia
5th May 2018, 0:35
Let’s do the math:
a) half a mile (a quarter going, a quarter coming) over the water;
b) 2 cars @ 200 mph + DRS + turning;
c) a Valencia Weber like accident;
d) 3 feet high wall on the sides (check at 3d google maps)
equals to:
the first time in 50 years we going see how well a F1 car floats.
I think F1 cars went three times near the water in the last years (Monaco, Singapore, Valencia)
All those times, for a small stretch and after very tight slowing turns.
This “proposed” lay out is further proof that this race will not happen.
Markus (@aesto)
5th May 2018, 0:49
Webber in Valencia-type accidents are always crazy dangerous, no matter where they happen. Better for an F1 car to land in the water than in a grandstand.
Strontium (@strontium)
5th May 2018, 1:00
Whoever drew that has gone onto google maps, right clicked, clicked measure distance, and drawn a line.
There is no way I can take that seriously
Kerry MMaxwell
5th May 2018, 1:20
Judging from Google Maps, it would also seem the pavement on that causeway would not be conducive to F1.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
5th May 2018, 2:46
Give Charlie Whiting and his team more credit… They use catch fencing that is several feet tall and strong enough to contain a car, deploy divers in the water for emergencies, etc. Charlie and co. will definitely review the proposal and accrual facilities with a view to safety.
ADUB SMALLBLOCK (@waptraveler)
5th May 2018, 13:13
I had the same thoughts. Looks like the parts over the water is maybe 1500-1700 feet. No reasonable way to position emergency equipment. I guess they could place cranes on barges. A wreck would block any access from the rear of the pack for an ambulance, so position one on each side of the causeway to approach from the front of the pack? Hey, I’m sure these things CAN be addressed, but will they be??
Unicron (@unicron2002)
5th May 2018, 14:49
@waptraveler what I would do is not use the full length of the carriageway on the bridge. It’s very wide, so make one lane one both sides available for rescue vehicles. The track would then still be very wide, but easily accessible all the way across the bridge.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
5th May 2018, 0:50
I think it’s a bit sad how Maldonado’s F1 career ended up… with a bit more polish, he’d have been a hell of a driver. I still mantain that the guy was incredibly talented, but too stubborn to learn from his mistakes. With some slight changes, that 2012 season would’ve been incredibly sucessful, and not just because of Spain.
ACx
5th May 2018, 1:30
And there is a lesson for Vestappen……
Robbie (@robbie)
5th May 2018, 14:56
Max has more talent in his pinky finger than PM…so…no lessons to be learned.
Drop Sochi
5th May 2018, 10:00
If he had a dominant car he would have been quite formidable, he would win the WDC over most drivers at the time, if barcelona was anyting to go by.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
5th May 2018, 11:46
I just watched a crash compilation of Maldonado’s GP2 and F1 career. It’s beyond amazing that he was able to finish a race, let alone win one.
Looking at his crashes, he seems to have some sort of handicap – he can’t stay on the road even on his own. Perhaps he has terrible vision or lack of depth perception or just terrible driving skills. I don’t think he ever actually meant to crash into anyone – he just didn’t know how to avoid the crash.
I’m not sure WEC is a good choice for the other drivers in the other series. It’s going to be extremely dangerous to drive with him around. Plus drivers won’t be able to tell that it’s Pastor driving the car so they can get out of the way to avoid the crash.
What is Alonso thinking joining WEC at the same time as Pastor? :-)
anon
5th May 2018, 13:56
@freelittlebirds, I’d be a little wary of those compilations as there seem to be some clips that wrongly ascribe the accidents of his team mates to Maldonado, or even ascribed random crashes by other drivers to him instead. For example, there is one Formula Renault 3.5 series race where the commentator seemed to claim that Maldonado had a massive crash, but in fact it was Stefano Proetto who crashed (the commentator apparently being unable to tell the difference between Maldonado’s bright yellow car and the dark blue car that Proetto was driving).
ajpennypacker (@ajpennypacker)
7th May 2018, 18:03
There is absolutely no denying that Pastor was very prone to crashing. He was reckless. Likewise there is also no denying of his remarkable speed. He had very peaky performance. When he was in the right mindset he was a top F1 driver. The problem, I believe, was he incredible lack of discipline and enormous stubbornness. As much as he was derided, he had a pretty massive ego. Probably driven by his large support from PDVSA and the fact that he was very much sought after because of his massive sponsorship. I honestly think he was convinced he was a pretty hot commodity. Alas, as soon as his sponsorship ran out, he was summarily dismissed. All in all, he absolutely doesn’t deserve to be in F1. WEC? Well, at least it seems he got there without some ridiculous sponsorship so that’s a good start.
ForzaAlonsoF1
5th May 2018, 13:44
“If he had a dominant car he would have been quite formidable, he would win the WDC over most drivers at the time, if barcelona was anyting to go by.”
@Drop Sochi I Remember Autosport ran an article at the end of the 2012 campaign over four pages explaining why Fernando Alonso’s 2012 WDC battle was probably the finest season ever driven. Not just by Alonso. By every one. That year’s Ferrari had no business finishing where Alonso had it. Maldonado wouldn’t have got anywhere near.
David BR (@david-br)
5th May 2018, 0:56
Sounds good for a website: Has Maldonado crashed out on the sofa today?
Neil (@neilosjames)
5th May 2018, 1:33
The Miami track looks… er, interesting. The two straights are about 1.2km and 1.1km so nothing crazy, and the first hairpin would have a decent downhill braking zone. The rest of it looks somewhat uninspiring from a quick drive-round on Streetview, but if gets approved and ends up producing good races, I won’t really care.
Forza Maldonado (@forzamaldonado)
5th May 2018, 4:47
The proposed Miami layout looks like a track you’d see in one of the old Project Gotham Racing games. Flat out through a beautiful city, over a bridge, and into a hairpin sounds great in theory, but if both sides of the bridge would be used for racing, it would be a nightmare in the event of a crash. While I doubt a car would fly into the water, any parked car would likely require a red flag in order to safely remove it.
I’m personally holding out hope for a Watkins Glen return, but if the city of Miami is throwing enough money at F1 to make it happen, it’ll happen…
Andrew in Atlanta
5th May 2018, 5:52
There’s zero, nada and no chance Watkins Glen spends the money to bring the track to 1A, F1 grade. There’s no incentive for them to do so and no need. They can barely get Indy car racing to take hold again and they had to pay out of pocket to get the race there the last 2 seasons. And they were bailing out Indycar from a hole in the schedule after the Boston race collapsed.
sumedh
5th May 2018, 5:43
Just realized a coincidence of this season. All the 3 race-changing safety cars that have happened this season (Australia, China, 2nd Baku safety car) have happened due to misfortune hitting both cars of one single team.
Haas in Australia = Both cars affected by pitstop problems causing SC
Toro Rosso in China = Both cars collided with each other causing SC
Red Bull in Baku = Both cars collided with each other causing SC
ColdFly (@)
5th May 2018, 7:23
Where are the days when SCs helped your own teammate?
Maybe they should hire Pat Symonds.
Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
5th May 2018, 16:10
@coldfly
or Alonso ;)
Jere (@jerejj)
5th May 2018, 7:25
@sumedh That’s a bit bizarre coincidence, LOL.
Jere (@jerejj)
5th May 2018, 7:24
The proposed Miami layout doesn’t look too bad. It shares some similarities with Baku, most notably the two long full-throttle sections. BTW, where the pit building would be located?
– I agree with the COTD to a certain extent.
– BTW, it hasn’t been five years yet since the Verstappen-Kvyat team switch took place.
Unicron (@unicron2002)
5th May 2018, 14:52
@jerejj I was thinking the same about the pit building. There is a car park that runs inbetween the main freeway (parallel to the coast) that could squeeze in a Monaco-style pitlane. Not ideal though but there seems to be nowhere else.
Joao (@johnmilk)
5th May 2018, 9:09
I agree with Maldonado, with Max around what’s the point of him being there?
John
7th May 2018, 12:38
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
5th May 2018, 10:07
I don’t mind the idea of an extra street race but I think 2 very long straights might make it a little dull. I wonder if with two long straights the field might get a bit stretched? One I can understand.
I think it needs some modification or perhaps a chicane?
I also have read that there are some concerns about the bridge section and recovering cars after an accident.
James Brickles (@brickles)
5th May 2018, 10:21
The proposed Miami circuit looks lazily designed, although very AVUS-like with that dual carriageway. One main and fundamental problem though… presuming it’s anti-clockwise, the section with the chicane and right-hand the turn leading onto the longest straight look very, very close to each other. Neither corner is going to have any run off, which is going to be a big issue at the chicane if a driver’s brakes don’t work.
James Brickles (@brickles)
5th May 2018, 10:27
Additionally, I think they should have looked at Miami Beach. There are some pretty good looking roads there.
Dave
5th May 2018, 10:22
But I want to see the next Maldonado in F1…
stefan
5th May 2018, 10:33
If F1 is going to dumb down the tech in order to be cheaper I can see it happening that FE will be the faster F1 in 5 to 10 years or so. Of course FIA sets the rules for both so it could be that they keep FE from getting there. The future of automotive is electric. Which is kind of a pity since this is one of the last true machines in use and not a smartphone on 4 wheels. However from health and future of planet earth perspective it will be the better solution.
Postreader
8th May 2018, 12:08
That’s very unlikely. The energy density difference between oil and the best batteries are enourmous, over an order of magnitude. The only reason electric is even considered an alternative is environmental and pollution concerns. That and combustion engines being so hilariously inneficient, but the industry has proven it can evolve on a crisis. Back on the 70s fuel efficiency doubled nearly instantly under the shadow of an oil price crisis.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
5th May 2018, 10:50
Does anyone else think that Miami track looks like a Formula E track and not a F1 track?
Pretty uninspiring as far as I’m concerned?
Garns (@)
5th May 2018, 12:39
Yes I though the same really, it doesn’t leap out as an F1 I didn’t think. We will see.
I did hear a few teams wanted Pastor to test and see if he still had that speed (he was quick on a good day) but them budget caps were talked about again and it was all over :)
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
5th May 2018, 15:50
considering Williams’ pre-Baku performance that seems to make sense (driving into the points positions would probably require enough pushing to make hasmaldonadocrashedtoday.com very, very, very alive).
Mark Thomson (@melthom)
5th May 2018, 19:10
He can do the preseason crash testing for all teams
Mark Thomson (@melthom)
5th May 2018, 19:11
He can do the preseason crash testing for all teams.
faulty (@faulty)
5th May 2018, 19:32
Why not just go to Homestead?
YellowSubmarine
6th May 2018, 6:41
Lol. With Max wrecking havoc all over F1 these days, gotta admit I kinda miss Maldonado. Hahaha
Nigel
6th May 2018, 10:16
+1000
C-Biscuit-Bone-Man
6th May 2018, 7:17
Hey, Pastor!
Dave
24th April 2021, 13:54
Pastor, you are a meme legend.