Maldonado chasing another in Monaco
Pastor Maldonado has declared his intention of staying ahead of the pack in Formula One by winning next Sunday’s showpiece Monaco GP.
The 27-year-old Venezuelan, who silenced his critics by delivering the Williams team’s first win for eight years on the weekend of founder Frank Williams 70th birthday, can see no reason why he cannot do the same again.
His confidence high, after a masterful triumph built on a mature drive and good strategy, he also said this week that Formula One is changing fast – and that the driver pays a bigger role than in recent years.
“It has become like a GP2 championship,” he said. “The drivers can make the difference and the teams can still work on the strategy and the car. It’s a bit boring when you see one car winning. The season is more competitive.”
Maldonado added that despite criticism by Michael Schumacher and Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz about the unforgiving Pirelli tyres, it was satisfying to win races under the current regulations.
He added: “The tyre degradation is quite big and it is true that you need to manage them, but that is part of it and it’s the same for everybody. There are no easy races. We need to adapt to the tyres, to the rules, to the car.”
Looking ahead to next weekend’s famous contest on the narrow streets of the Mediterranean principality, he said: “All the teams and the Championship are so close, but we are getting better and better every time.
“We don’t have the quickest car, maybe, but we are doing our best. Monaco? Why not? F1 is changing all the time. It’s going to be difficult but we will try again.”
He said that the rapidly-improving and revamped Williams team was gaining in self-belief with each race and their understanding of tyre management played a critical part in his Spanish Grand Prix win.
“The Pirellis are working quite well on our car at the moment,” he told reporters. “We have degradation, but it’s the same for everybody. We’ve been working on the tyres. We built the car around the tyres and developed it around them.
“We understand very well how to do it, especially on the driving side, and the engineers managing the set-up of the car. I am sure we can do it again and we can win again.”
Maldonado’s maiden victory, from his maiden pole position, in Spain turned him into a national hero and set him on course to become one of the biggest sport stories of the year and fully justified Williams decision to sign him when they released veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.
Maldonado was offered the drive with Williams partly due to a huge sponsorship deal with Venezuela’s state oil company, but team principal Sir Frank Williams, who was one of the first men rescued from the fuel blaze that erupted in the back of their garage during last Sunday’s post-race celebrations, this week made clear that it was the Venezuelan’s great talent that was more important.
Maldonado, showing dignity and level-headedness in his hour of glory, repaid many of the compliments he received from his team by signalling that he has no desire to leave.
“I think I will stay in the team for a long time,” he said. “We need to be winning, we need a mission, we need to build a championship and after I will see for my future.”
He added: “Everyone here is very happy to see me. We did a small conference this morning, we were all together, talking with the people of the factory and I am happy to see their happy faces.
“For sure it is a great moment to be back at the factory because we have been working so hard to find this result.”
http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/7765552/Maldonado-chasing-another-in-Monaco
Hamilton: Monaco ideal for first win
Lewis Hamilton believes there is no better place to win his first race of the season than next weekend on the streets of Monte Carlo.
Despite having yet to win a grand prix this season, Hamilton is only eight points away from joint Championship leaders Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso in the Drivers’ standings.
And although the McLaren driver admits a consistent approach is the way to go about winning World titles, he is eager to get off the mark.
“Monaco is a very special circuit,” said the Brit. “It’s up there with Silverstone as the place where I most want to do well at.
“Still it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that, despite pushing for the win, consistency and scoring decent points is currently the most sensible way to tackle this World Championship.
“I’ve scored points at every race, and I’m only eight points off the lead of the Championship. That’s a really encouraging statistic and it’s reassuring to see my approach is paying off.
“Nevertheless, I’m coming off the back of two relatively disappointing results and there would be no better place for the cards to fall in my favour than at Monaco.”
As for the race, it takes place on the streets of the Principality and requires the drivers to race a fine line between needing speed and needing to stay out the barriers.
“Even though Monaco has the slowest average speed of all the circuits we visit in a season, it always feels incredibly quick. That’s because the acceleration is so rapid and the walls so close: there really is no room for error.
“Apart from the run-off at Ste Devote, and the tiny escape roads at Mirabeau and the harbour chicane, there’s no room to make a mistake.”
“But,” Hamilton added, “when the stakes are at their highest, I just find it more exciting.”
http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/7765329/Hamilton-Monaco-ideal-for-first-win
Perez: Monaco shunt a watershed event
Sergio Perez says he is a “stronger” driver after his horrific accident in last year’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Last year, which was his first season in Formula One, Perez crashed in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Mexican racer lost control of his Sauber exiting the tunnel section, swung right and crashed into the barrier before sliding across the chicane and slamming side-on into the TecPro barrier.
Perez suffered a sprained thigh and concussion, which kept him out of the Sunday race and also sidelined him two weeks later in Canada.
The 22-year-old, though, is eager to return to Monaco, hoping this time round for a very different result.
“This grand prix is the most special one for me,” Perez said.
“I have been waiting to race in the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix all my life and, of course, after what happened last year I am looking forward to it even more.
“I strongly believe on this track the driver can make more of a difference than on any other track.
“As a team we are in good shape and I want to keep that momentum for Monaco. I also think our car can perform quite well on that unique city circuit.”
He added: “Of course I also think back to the accident I had in Q3 last year. To me it is like a watershed event in my career,” he said.
“There is a time before and a time after the accident.
“I learnt a lot from what I had to go through and I think it made me stronger. I really want to show what I can do in Monte Carlo.”
http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/7765488/Perez-Monaco-shunt-a-watershed-event
WILLIAMS DISMISS SENNA RUMOURS
Bruno Senna’s seat at Williams is secure despite rumours suggesting he could be replaced by test driver Valtteri Bottas in the near future.
With Pastor Maldonado having claimed his first pole position and maiden grand prix victory in Spain last week, the pressure is on Senna to up his performances.
While Maldonado has 29 points – 25 of which came from Sunday’s victory – Senna has bagged just 14.
However, it’s on Saturday afternoons that the Brazilian, who previously raced for HRT and Lotus Renault, has fallen short of his Venezuelan team-mate.
Maldonado has outqualified Senna in four of five grands prix while the distance in Spain was P1 to P17 after Senna crashed in qualifying.
This has led to speculation that Senna’s days are numbered unless he ups his pace very soon with Bottas, who is managed by Williams board member Toto Wolff, set to step in.
However, Wolff has dismissed these reports.
“We are not replacing anybody,” he told Autosport.
“We have contracts with two drivers, and we are supporting our drivers as much as we can and as well as we can.
“The decision to take on Bruno and Pastor was a very carefully taken one and we will push on – not do some knee-jerk exercise.”
As for Bottas, Wolff revealed that the team intends taking their time getting him up to speed and will not rush his debut.
“With Valtteri, we are going through a development school and the decision to run him on Fridays was very carefully decided.
“We are not going to burn him up either by putting him in a situation that we think is not appropriate. So the rumours are rubbish.”
MASSA: FERRARI STANDING BY ME
Felipe Massa is adamant that he has the full support of Ferrari and will find a way out of his current slump.
According to rumours in the Formula One paddock, Massa’s days at Ferrari are numbered after a lacklustre start to the season coupled with the disappointments of last year.
These reports were given some weight earlier this week when Ferrari appeared to publicly put pressure on their Brazilian, saying in a statement that “everyone, he more than anyone, is expecting a change of gear starting right away with the Monaco Grand Prix.”
Ferrari, though, were quick to deny that they have run out of patience while Massa is adamant he has the full support of his team.
“Absolutely, yes, I feel the whole team stands by me,” the 31-year-old said in an interview on the Ferrari website.
“Obviously, they are not happy with the results and neither am I – we all want is to get out of this and return to normal.
“It’s possible and for sure it’s what I want and I know that with the team’s help we will manage it.”
He added that his new F2012 was “definitely not a very easy car to drive” and gave his team-mate Fernando Alonso credit for managing to get the most out of the car.
“At the moment Fernando’s driving is amazing. He is on super form, maybe even perfect,” Massa said.
But while Alonso already has a win this season, Massa has not claimed a single race victory since returning to Formula One in the wake of his 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying crash.
Massa suffered a head injury and almost lost an eye in the crash, which was caused when a spring from a rival’s car hit and broke his visor. The Brazilian went on to slam into the barriers of the Hungaroring at pace.
And the question was posed to him as to whether he believes that accident may have anything to do with his recent lack of form.
“I have asked myself that forty five thousand times and don’t think I haven’t and why wouldn’t I: having won so much over three years, eleven races, the question is obvious.
“And it’s not as though I only stuck to asking myself: I went looking for the answer, asking a whole host of questions and undergoing as many medical examinations.
“All the doctors I consulted are prepared to swear hand on heart that there are absolutely no traces of the impact with the spring.
“As for myself, I don’t feel in any way different to the way I was before that weekend.
“For example, if it was true that I no longer had the same will to win as before or the same courage, then how can one explain the fact that, at the race start, I am probably still one of the best drivers and I am not the sort to hold back when it comes to overtaking?”