Former Formula 1 driver Pastor Maldonado has once again criticized the current direction of the category and questioned whether F1 is heading in the right direction. The Venezuelan stated that modern rules have reduced the prominence of drivers and made the competition more dependent on the cars.
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Even retired, Maldonado continues to follow the category closely and keeps Williams as his favorite team. The winner of the 2012 Spanish GP acknowledges the technological evolution of F1 but believes that some changes have harmed the essence of the sport.
The victory in Barcelona remains the most remarkable moment of his career, something he still recalls frequently: “Winning is difficult nowadays. But imagine how difficult it was back then, with a car that wasn’t fighting for wins,” he said. That year, Williams was no longer a top team and faced financial limitations, making the triumph even more unexpected.
Maldonado also recalled the confidence he had during that weekend: “We knew we had a chance to win, with a perfect strategy. I told myself that opportunities don’t come every day, so this could be one of the most special moments of my life.” According to him, the calmness came from the experience of already being used to fighting for wins and championships in the junior categories before Formula 1.
Despite the victory, the Venezuelan highlighted that the season was marked by reliability problems: “We could fight for podiums, but we had many problems. Maybe four or five times we had failures. The parts were more fragile back then,” he said.
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Commenting on current F1, Maldonado especially criticized the technological complexity: “They need to be careful because the most important people in Formula 1 are the drivers and no one is happy. We want to race with a car that allows us to see who is the fastest,” he said, also comparing it to the past, recalling that drivers from smaller teams could score points more frequently.
The former driver also questioned the introduction of hybrid engines: “When I think about 2014, half the season I couldn’t race due to problems. We didn’t exactly know what the battery was doing. I think Formula 1 and the drivers suffered a lot because of that,” he added.
Furthermore, Maldonado stated that current drivers have lost autonomy during races: “Today you have to follow team orders, the manual. It’s more the car and less the driver. I don’t agree with that.” He also criticized track limits and asphalt run-off areas instead of gravel traps and concluded: “They don’t let the drivers race anymore,” he concluded.
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