Pastor Maldonado won the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix 10 years ago but where is he now in 2022 after his only win
When did he last compete in racing, and where did he do it? Pastor Maldonado ran where Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez, and Esteban Ocon walked.
PASTOR MALDONADO: Where is He Now In 2022, After 10 Years Of Iconic SPANISH GRAND PRIX WIN And Net Worth
Why do millions of people watch Formula One races? Habit? Maybe. To be entertained, perhaps? Possibly. To be surprised and delighted? Without a doubt. The odds of someone so unexpected winning a Grand Prix are as slim as bees to honey.
A smidgeon of the potential is enough to entice you in, with the expectation that something out of the usual may occur. In 2020/21, Gasly, Perez, and Ocon all won for the first time. With Gasly’s victory marking the first for a real middle team since the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix.
2012 Winning SPANISH GRAND PRIX:
Pastor Maldonado, financed by oil company PDVSA, became the first Venezuelan to race in Formula One since Johnny Cecotto in 1984 in 2011.
Let us not forget, though, that Maldonado was a capable pedaler, having won the 2010 GP2 championship ahead of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. He was given a dog of a vehicle in the FW33 when he joined Williams, collecting only one point in the Belgian Grand Prix.
Details:
In 2012, Williams was back on track, with the FW34 proving to be a practical, fast, and competitive package. Maldonado finished seventh in round three in China before a DNF in Bahrain as F1 returned to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix, the customary opening of the European season.
Maldonado produced the quickest time in Q2 and unexpectedly managed to qualify the Williams on the first row, beating Fernando Alonso by 0.017s.
During pole-sitter, Hamilton was thrown out for not having enough fuel after qualifying, and P2 became P1.
Sunday, May 13th, 2012 would go down in history as one of Formula One’s biggest upsets. Maldonado held off a charging Alonso on home turf, despite being pursued by the Ferrari. He managed to finish P1 for Williams’ first victory since the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix – and they’re last to date.
It would be the 114th and last victory in the life of founder Sir Frank Williams, who died in 2021. He was the hero again a few hours later when a fire broke out in the Williams garage, and he assisted in the rescue of family members.
Maldonado failed to capitalize on his first pole, victory, and podium in Formula One. The customary reckless blunders came in, such as the late touch with Hamilton at Valencia later that year. It cost him a potential P3, and the jump starts at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. He was on pace for a credible podium in Abu Dhabi, but a KERS failure dropped him to P5 at the finish.
Now PASTOR MALDONADO:
Maldonado continued with Williams for 2013. Although the FW35 was incredibly sluggish due to the team’s inability to grasp the colander exhausts. He invested his PDVSA oil money in Lotus in 2014, collaborating with Romain Grosjean.
He scored points seven times in his two years. But he damaged his image with a series of amateurish crashes, including one in the pit entry in China in 2015. Maldonado’s final grand Prix occurred in Abu Dhabi in 2015. He was punted off at Turn 1 by Fernando Alonso.
PDVSA funding ran out about the same time the oil did, therefore Lotus/Renault chose Kevin Magnussen for 2016. Maldonado worked as a test driver for Pirelli before moving on to the WEC and sportscar racing, which is where most ex-F1 drivers end up.
Along with Anthony Davidson and Roberto Gonzalez, he won the LMP2 class in the 2019 Spa 6 Hours. Maldonado’s most recent race was the 2019 Daytona 24 Hours when he won the LMP2 class in the Dragonspeed car for the second time.
His co-drivers were Gonzalez, Sebastian Saavedra, and Ryan Cullen. Pastor Maldonado currently spends his time with his young family. He will be on the paddock for the Spanish Grand Prix on May 20th-22nd to commemorate ten years since F1’s most unexpected victory. His net worth stands at roughly $1 million.