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Maldonado responds to pay-driver critics

Pastor Maldonado brings £27 million to Williams through sponsor PDVSA © Sutton Images

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Pastor Maldonado has responded to critics that have labelled him as a pay driver in the past, saying he hopes his win in Spain last weekend proves he is in Formula One on the basis of talent.

Maldonado is thought to bring £27 million to Williams through the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA which has supported him through his career. When he joined the team he replaced Nico Hulkenberg after a solid rookie season for the German and the deal was criticised by the media for being more to do with money than talent.

Maldonado, a GP2 champion, says he ignores such comments and is hoping to continue to prove his critics wrong.

"I am very lucky to have such amazing support from Venezuela," he said. "The finances I can bring have helped me reach Formula One but also help develop the car and that is crucial in being successful. I don't focus on these comments, preferring to do my talking on the track and do the best job I can for the team. Hopefully my performance in Spain has shown that I have the talent to be one of the best drivers."

This season has seen five different winners from the first five races and Maldonado believes the unpredictability is partly to do with driver talent having a bigger influence on results.

"This has been one of the most competitive seasons we have seen in many years and to have such a strong level of competition between the teams and drivers is a good thing in my opinion," he said. "It is boring for fans when one driver dominates, and this season feels a bit like GP2 with the driver being able to play a big part in the performance of the car.

"The tyres also allow teams to play around with different strategies so there is always the opportunity to move up if you take a gamble. We have worked hard on getting our tyres to perform well and this was certainly the case in Spain where I could do a longer final stint than others."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.