Maldonado looking to Spa and Monza to reboot season

Pastor Maldonado is hoping that Spa and Monza will prove just the tonic he and Lotus need to boost their prospects in the second half of the season.

Maldonado said that he was hopeful that the characteristics of the first two races back in 2015 following the summer shutdown should suit the Lotus and enable him and team mate Romain Grosjean to carry the fight to their main rivals further up their grid.

"I think we have some tracks coming up which suit our car so that’s a good positive," he said.

"Certainly, Spa and Monza should be strong for us so good results there will be a great way to reboot our season before we head to all the flyaway races when anything is possible.

"This year we have a car we know to be very quick in a straight line, so this could help us," he continued, pointing out that this characteristic should make the Lotus E23 Hybrid particularly effective at Spa.

"Every track has its own challenges. For Spa, it’s a long lap and this can present some set-up challenges. You want low drag for the straights but decent downforce for the corners. This is the same at any track, but with the longer lap at Spa the different requirements are highlighted.

"Sometimes the best set-up for the fastest lap is not necessarily the best in a race. It’s easier to overtake on the straights, so a car fast here, but maybe relatively slower in the corners could be the preferred race set-up."

It's clear that Maldonado shares in the love that seemingly every driver who has even driven in Formula One shares for the Spa-Francorchamps circuit wrestling deep in the Ardennes.

"It is an amazing circuit and for sure one of the best on the planet. The sensations a driver experiences at corners like the Eau Rouge-Radillon combination, Pouhon and Blanchimont are not like you feel anywhere else in the world.

"It is unique in every way and to think you are competing on parts of the track that were used back in the first Grand Prix season in 1950 makes it very special indeed."

That mountain forest setting also makes the weather a unique participant in almost every Grand Prix weekend staged here.

"Of course, you never know if you’re going to get rain at Spa, and when it comes, it can come very quickly. There’s always something to keep you on your toes at Spa.

"Spa is the type of track where you get great memories whenever or whatever you are racing, but of course the ones that really stick in the mind are the victories and I am lucky that I have won here a few times.

"I first raced at Spa in 2004 in Formula Renault. In 2006 I won in World Series by Renault at Spa, taking pole, fastest lap and the victory. Then in 2008 I won in the GP2 Series for the first time. Then I took another win in my championship year in 2010 which was a sweet moment. In Formula 1 I qualified sixth in 2012.

"So all in all I have great memories of the track and feel that I have a special relationship with it going back many years," he said. "Whilst it’s great to have a bit of a break, I can’t wait to jump back into the car."

Catch up with F1i's breakfast date with Lotus F1's deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi

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