Pastor Maldonado says he won’t change his approach to racing following a spate of incidents which have led to various penalties.
The Venezuelan spectacularly put Williams back on the top step of the podium when he won the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this season, however in the following four races, he’s failed to score a single point despite qualifying in the top ten in three of them.
The 27-year-old has been involved in no less than three incidents since the Spanish GP all of which have resulted in penalties, dropping him out of points contention.
However Maldonado blames it on a run of bad luck, rather than an issue with his driving despite severe criticism from Sergio Perez who branded him ‘dangerous’.
Asked if he would change his approach, he replied: “No, because I think I have been unlucky,” he told the Telegraph.
“I accept the penalty for the incident with Lewis [Hamilton], but I was a bit unlucky because I hit a kerb and had no traction at the front.
“Yesterday [at the British GP] it was different. The race was just starting, I was on cold tyres, had no angle to turn and I lost the car.
“I was gentle with Kimi [Raikkonen], giving him position. I drove carefully because the race is long and degradation is high.”
He called his recent run of results ‘frustrating’, but insists it’s just a blip in an otherwise successful season so far.
“I have the team’s support,” he added. “I am just passing through a bad and unlucky moment when I don’t get any points following my victory.
“It is frustrating. We have lost a lot of points, but we have everything in place to get some points from the next race and in the second part of the season.
“We can recover. It is not the end of the season. I have a lot of confidence in the team and they have confidence in me and we need to keep on pushing.”