Maldonado claims Ferrari talks, Verstappen comparison
Maldonado claims Ferrari talks, Verstappen comparison
Pastor Maldonado says he was the Max Verstappen of his era, while claiming he had expected a move to Ferrari in 2014 after holding talks with the Scuderia.
Maldonado raced in F1 between 2011 and 2015 for Williams and Lotus, securing a famous win at the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, but also developing a reputation for incidents with other drivers, and even some with none nearby.
The 2010 GP2 Series champion is not the only driver to have claimed they were a candidate to replace Felipe Massa at the Scuderia, Nico Hulkenberg said earlier this year he was within "an inch" of racing in red before the team opted to rehire Kimi Raikkonen.
"I was the only one, I was the new guy in F1," Maldonado told F1's 'Beyond The Grid' podcast.
"It's like Verstappen at the moment. Like Robert Kubica at his time. I was the guy at the time. People were coming to me, they were happy to talk to me, and they were happy to discuss me.
"What was not clear was the relationship with the sponsors [Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA], of course.
"It was a lot of conflict of interest against the sponsors and we were negotiating about that. My sponsors were open to maybe not to be on the car or be with another company, they were open to find a solution to my career.
"At some point we got very close to Ferrari. I was expecting the move at the time.
"That was my time. It was the moment to have a second chance, not to fight to try to show [my ability] every day, because it was impossible."
He added: "We lost the contacts and the communication and we focused on [other options].
"I've never been to Maranello but we had a few meetings at the track. I met Domenicali a few times and I met also Di Montezemolo."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- 44 minutes ago
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- 3 hours ago
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- Today 12:59
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 driver role CONFIRMED for 2025
- Today 12:38
F1 team set to axe BOTH star drivers
- Today 12:05
Related news
Incredible statistic puts Verstappen AHEAD of Hamilton record
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
Stats show SURPRISE F1 team dominate in crucial category
Schumacher reveals what F1 pundits are NOT allowed to say about Red Bull
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860