Arthur Pic will make his GP2 debut this year for series returnees Campos Racing. Pic, younger brother of F1 racer Charles, has spent three seasons in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and finished in eighth place last year. Pic tested for ART in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2013 but will race for Campos. Campos participated in GP2 between 2005 and 2008 and returns to the series this year having taken over the entry held by Addax. "We followed him closely and his future […]

Eric Boullier has admitted Pastor Maldonado is in the running to race for Lotus in 2014. But at the same time, the Enstone based team's boss made it clear that his preferred pick to replace the Ferrari-bound Kimi Raikkonen is Nico Hulkenberg. "I would love to (sign him)," Frenchman Boullier told F1's official website. "This is the recommendation that I gave to my board." The board, however, will have to weigh its decision against financial considerations, with Lotus' 35 per cent sale to a group […]

Rapax's Stefano Coletti has taken the early lead in the GP2 championship after setting the fastest time in qualifying in Malaysia. Coletti's time edged out James Calado by 0.004s, with the same difference separating Calado from Felipe Nasr in third place. Fabio Leimer was fourth, ahead of top rookie Mitch Evans in fifth place. The main talking point from the thirty minute session revolved around an incident between Sam Bird and Johnny Cecotto. Bird held Cecotto up through the fast Turn 6, for which he […]

Venezuelan racer Rodolfo Gonzalez has joined Marussia as their official reserve driver. Gonzalez has raced in GP2 for the last three seasons and will replace Max Chilton or Jules Bianchi if necessary. He will also drive in selected FP1 sessions and the young driver test. "I am very excited to be joining the Marussia F1 Team and at such an exciting time in their development," said Gonzalez. "Working closely with the race drivers and engineers at every stage of the race weekend is a fantastic […]

Pastor Maldonado's position in Formula One appears to be secure, despite the death of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez on Tuesday. Maldonado is heavily funded by state owned company PDVSA and Chavez's death means that elections will be held in Venezuela within the month. Maldonado made his F1 debut in 2011 having won the GP2 title the previous year. "They've [Venezuela] been very, very supportive and those who are next in line follow F1 and Pastor very closely," Sir Frank Williams told ESPNF1 shortly before Chavez's […]

Spanish Grand Prix winner Pastor Maldonado is aiming for a strong showing in Brazil

F1 insiders had a keen eye on Venezuela's presidential election on Sunday. The sport's main focus was, of course, in Japan, where Pastor Maldonado was racing his PDVSA-branded Williams around Suzuka. But in his native Venezuela, countrymen were busy re-electing the socialist incumbent Hugo Chavez -- probably a significant moment for the continuation of Maldonado's career. Chavez, who achieved 54 per cent of the vote, is a known supporter of Maldonado's F1 career, backing the 27-year-old in millions through the PDVSA brand. State owned oil […]

Pastor Maldonado has revealed he wants to stay at Williams for "at least" another year. As reigning GP2 champion, and with substantial backing from his native Venezuela, the now 27-year-old made his debut for the famous British team last year. He then defied his 'pay driver'-labelling critics by winning in Barcelona earlier this season, but has also faced criticism for making too many mistakes. Maldonado is quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE as saying he would like to stay at Williams in 2013. "I […]

Pastor Maldonado's 'hero homecoming' in his native Venezuela ended on a downbeat note after the Williams driver crashed during a demonstration run in the capital city of Caracas. Maldonado was set to complete 12 laps of the Fuerte Tiunas military parade arena in front of several VIPs - including military figures - as well as Sir Frank Williams and Toto Wolff. However, on the second lap, Maldonado went in to a turn with too much speed and damaged the suspension on his car. A storm after […]

Williams' driver lineup will "definitely" remain in place this year, team shareholder and executive director Toto Wolff insists. He joked that a change of policy will happen "when the sun falls from the sky," according to Speed Week. Pastor Maldonado brings millions to the famous British team from his native Venezuela, and he won May's Spanish grand prix from pole. But Speed Week said his carbon-crunching mistakes - the latest during a demonstration run in Caracus at the weekend - are costing Williams a substantial […]

A favourite for victory this weekend, Pastor Maldonado is reportedly lucky to be gearing up to race in the Principality at all. Bild newspaper recalls that the Venezuelan, who defied his 'pay driver' critics by winning for Williams in Spain two weeks ago, was actually banned after an horror incident on the streets of Monte Carlo seven years ago. Racing in the Renault World Series in 2005, the 27-year-old ignored yellow flags before striking and severely injuring a marshal. Organisers of the Monaco grand prix […]

Williams will not rush into signing a new title sponsor, chairman Adam Parr insists. The famous British team performed woefully in 2011 and lost its naming backer AT&T, yet recently revealed improved turnover and profits. And Parr told Reuters the Grove based team has more than $45 million in the bank. "I am very satisfied with what we have done overall with the business," he said. "We don't have a title sponsor at the moment and obviously that's an important initiative for us. But it's […]