• British Grand Prix

Maldonado eyes Barcelona repeat

Pastor Maldonado took his maiden grand prix victory at Barcelona earlier this season © Press Association

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• Race:
• British Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Pastor Maldonado

• Teams:
• Williams

Pastor Maldonado believes Williams will be strong at the British Grand Prix due to the circuit similarities between Silverstone and Barcelona.

The high-speed nature of Silverstone requires plenty of downforce - a strength also needed at Barcelona where Maldonado secured a surprise victory earlier this season. Having also been competitive in Valencia, Williams goes in to the race this weekend with high hopes that it can delvier another strong showing and Maldonado believes the track will suit the FW34.

"The British Grand Prix is always very special for the whole team and the support we get here is amazing with some of the most knowledgeable fans in the world," Maldonado said. "I think the track will suit our car because it's similar to Barcelona and it's also very fun to drive with sections like Maggots and Becketts which really test you as a driver. The pace of the car in Valencia was very promising and we have a number of updates expected for this race as well so hopefully we can give the home fans a good result."

Chief operations engineer Mark Gillan pointed to the tyre compounds available as another aspect that could play in to Williams' hands as it updates its car.

"Silverstone is a great circuit, with the highest average corner speed of any circuit in the championship and is a good challenge for both the driver and car," he said. "Pirelli bring their hard (prime) and soft (option) tyres to this race, which is the same pairing that we used successfully in Barcelona. We will also bring an updated aerodynamic package to the event which is imperative given the importance of aerodynamic efficiency around this track and how tight the grid is at present."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.