Maldonado hopeful of progress and points this weekend

Lotus Team F1's Pastor Maldonado has endured a troublesome start to the year with an elimination at the start in Australia and a retirement in Sepang. Needless to say, the Venezuelan's performance can only improve from its current level.

"It's a long year but in a sense our season starts here," said Maldonado. "We have a good car and we've been working hard since last year to reach the targets that have been set. But we're also still learning about the car, although we're going in the right direction so hopefully we can close the gap a bit with the teams in front of us."

While perhaps a victim of other driver's incidents in the first couple of races, Maldonado also insists on improving performance in qualifying in order to keep clear of trouble when the lights go green.
"To be honest, it is not frustrating, this is racing. When you are racing, you are risking. Unfortunately I had these two contacts in the first lap of both races, with other drivers, it's just unlucky. We need to be more ahead in the qualifying to avoid incidents and the risk from other drivers."
The Lotus driver also said it was difficult to properly assess the performance level of the E23 as circumstances have deprived him from a proper comparison with his rivals.

"It is difficult because we didn’t race body-to-body with our closest rivals, but I think we can fight with Red Bull and Toro Rosso. The car has changed a lot since pre-season testing, but there are still areas where we need to improve. We need downforce but at the same time need to maintain the same drag because we are quite fast on the straights, so it is not easy to find both together. We have some plans and projects to give us the extra downforce to help us jump a little bit forward and close the gap to Mercedes."

A clean race and points will be Maldonado's principal aim this weekend in China. "I think getting to Q3 is possible because we have the pace. Let’s see what the track conditions are like, the weather, how the car feels and how good a set-up we can get. I’m confident we should be fighting for good places."

Click here for Chris Medland's Chinese Grand Prix preview. 

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Williams' Boutsen hoists the mainsail in Adelaide

On this day in 1989, Williams' Thierry Boutsen secured his second F1 win when he…

57 mins ago

Horner: Max 'answered critics' with epic Sao Paulo GP drive

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed Max Verstappen’s sensational Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory…

2 hours ago

Sainz left puzzled by double crash drama in rainy São Paulo

Carlos Sainz was left scratching his head after a disastrous Sunday at the Sao Paulo…

3 hours ago

Alonso pushed through agonizing pain to complete Sao Paulo GP

Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…

4 hours ago

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

19 hours ago

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 São Paulo GP

Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…

20 hours ago