10 Reasons Why F1 Won't Be The Same Without Maldonado

On Monday Pastor Maldonado announced his departure from the 2016 F1 grid. He didn't deserve an F1 seat, but we'll miss him. Here's why!
10 Reasons Why F1 Won't Be The Same Without Maldonado

1. Maldonado usually spiced up a race

10 Reasons Why F1 Won't Be The Same Without Maldonado

It was never dull, that’s for sure!

2. He was always pushing like hell

10 Reasons Why F1 Won't Be The Same Without Maldonado

His commitment levels were bonkers!

3. But sometimes it didn’t work out too well

10 Reasons Why F1 Won't Be The Same Without Maldonado

It went two ways - very well, or very badly. Not much in between!

Remote video URL

Ayrton Senna once said “if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” Maldonado often went for gaps that didn’t exist…

Remote video URL

Whether it was driving onto the grass and crashing, or spinning while changing a steering wheel setting, there were some funny moments!

6. His aggressive driving was always exciting to watch

10 Reasons Why F1 Won't Be The Same Without Maldonado

He made some boring races that little bit more exciting.

7. And he produced one of the most surprising performances ever

Image source: Williams Martini Racing
Image source: Williams Martini Racing

When everything went right, he was very quick. 2012 in Spain will remain one of the biggest shocks in F1.

8. His car control was, sometimes, amazing

Some of his drifts and saves were just brilliant.

A few times, the car just caught him out.

10. Overall though, he’s genuinely a nice guy

Image source: Lotus F1 Team
Image source: Lotus F1 Team

While he gets a lot of criticism for his erratic driving, Maldonado really is a nice, well-spoken and friendly guy, who a lot of people liked in the F1 paddock. His career in the sport isn’t over just yet, maybe we’ll see him return in the near future, or perhaps he’ll do one of these

Sponsored Posts

Comments

Anonymous
  1. He had his own fascinating website..
02/06/2016 - 13:34 |
178 | 0
Ben Saville

we need to bring the cucumber back and put him in a mercedes. He was way worse than pastor

02/06/2016 - 13:39 |
0 | 0
Nissan 420sx

You could have named this “Maldonado crash compilation”

02/06/2016 - 14:00 |
2 | 2
Ultra

Maldonado approve this article

02/06/2016 - 14:01 |
38 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Ultra

More like “Crash of approval” xD

02/06/2016 - 21:19 |
8 | 0
Kevin B
02/06/2016 - 14:08 |
52 | 0
gheed

He was the only driver i liked watching.. A race where nothing happens is boring, and i also think he is a lot better driver than most people think..

02/06/2016 - 14:43 |
14 | 0
Omar 1

In 2015 he wasn’t that bad
He didn’t even crash that often and if he did it usually wasn’t his fault
Correct me if I’m wrong

02/06/2016 - 15:25 |
4 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Omar 1

He crashed at 9 out of 19 race weekends, with 1 or more crashes per those 9 weekends.

02/09/2016 - 19:53 |
0 | 0
Caro

Is it possible to call Maldonado the Colin MacRae of F1?

02/06/2016 - 16:14 |
8 | 2
Ruben 1

In reply to by Caro

Good point

02/06/2016 - 17:41 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

In that short clip with Hamilton Maldonado shouldn’t have driven into Hamilton but Hamilton shouldn’t have tried to squeeze Pastor off the track in the first place. He always does these unfair moves just like Senna did as Martin Brundle once explained.
https://youtu.be/i_qHQHVyxyM

02/06/2016 - 17:26 |
4 | 0
Evan Clay

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Couldn’t agree more. Hamilton is so obsessed with winning, he’ll do whatever he can to push others off the track or give himself the advantage in any way. US GP 2015 anyone? Lap 1, first corner. Pushed his own teammate off track. Pastor was just responding with counter-aggressive driving. Who can blame him?

02/06/2016 - 20:18 |
8 | 0
DeKileCH (Opel Squad)

Honestly, maldonado was the main reason for me to watch an F1 race.

02/06/2016 - 19:40 |
0 | 0