#13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus

Date of Birth: 10/03/1985 | Nationality: Venezuelan | Twitter: @Pastormaldo

Career

Maldonado spent several years in Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2, culminating in winning the latter in 2010. He tested for HRT and Williams and joined the latter after signing a hefty sponsorship deal.

His first season in the sport coincided with a difficult year for Williams and he was restricted to just a single point in Belgium.

The car improved in 2012 but Maldonado's reputation for getting involved in scraps cost Williams points. Nonetheless, in a season with a few surprises the Venezuelan frequently excelled over the course of one lap as he qualified in second in Spain and Singapore. He was promoted to pole position in Spain following Lewis Hamilton's exclusion and during the race he held off the advances of Fernando Alonso to claim once of the unlikeliest victories in the history of the sport.

He amassed 25 of his 45 points for 2012 in that single race as he frequently struggled to blend aggression and speed at the relevant times. Nonetheless, there were other flashes of speed - a drive to fifth in Abu Dhabi despite not having KERS - which suggested promise in the Venezuelan's ability.

Williams's fortunes dipped in 2013 and Maldonado claimed just one point in Hungary, as he struggled to feel the front end of the car compared to new team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Maldonado's frustrations grew to the extent where he inferred the team had sabotaged his efforts in Austin, although he later retracted his accusations.