Pastor Maldonado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pastor Maldonado
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Maldonado at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
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| Born |
Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta
9 March 1985 |
| Spouse(s) |
Gabriela Tarkanyi
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Manuel Maldonado (cousin) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Venezuelan |
| Active years | 2011–2015 |
| Teams | Williams, Lotus |
| Car number | 13 |
| Entries | 96 (95 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 76 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2011 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2012 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Years active | 2018–19 |
| Teams | DragonSpeed |
| Starts | 8 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Poles | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| Best finish | 3rd in 2018–19 (LMP2) |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2018–2019 |
| Teams | DragonSpeed |
| Best finish | 9th (2018) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta (born March 9, 1985) is a former racing driver from Venezuela. He competed in Formula One from 2011 to 2015. Maldonado achieved a big win at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix while driving for the Williams team.
Before joining Formula One, Maldonado won the GP2 Series championship in 2010 with the Rapax team. After his time in Formula One, he became a test driver for Pirelli. In 2018, Maldonado returned to racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He finished third in the LMP2 class with DragonSpeed and also won a class race at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019.
Early Life and First Races
Pastor Maldonado was born in Maracay, Venezuela, on March 9, 1985. He loved racing from a young age, watching his uncles drive go-karts. When he was four, he started BMX racing and even won a national championship!
Starting in Karting
In 1992, Maldonado visited a karting track and was very impressed. He convinced his dad to let him try a kart. A year later, he started competing in karting championships. Since there wasn't a specific age group for him, he raced against older kids, aged 10–12.
Moving to Formula Renault
Maldonado first raced in "formula" cars in Italy in 2003. He competed in the Italian Formula Renault Championship and finished seventh overall. He earned three podium finishes (meaning he finished in the top three) and one pole position (starting first).
In 2004, Maldonado raced in both the Italian and Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup championships. He won the Italian title, with eight wins and six pole positions. In the European championship, he finished eighth with two wins. In November 2004, he even got to test a Minardi Formula One car in Italy.
Racing in Italian F3000
In 2005, Maldonado moved up from Formula Renault. He raced in four events in the Italian Formula 3000 Championship. He won one race at the Autodromo dell'Umbria, which helped him finish ninth overall. He also raced in the World Series by Renault, but his participation was affected by a four-race ban.
Formula Renault 3.5 Series
Maldonado got a full-time spot in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2006. He finished third overall, with three wins, six other podium finishes, and five pole positions. He could have won the title, but he was disqualified from a race win due to a technical issue with his car.
GP2 Series Success
Maldonado's strong performance in FR3.5 caught the attention of GP2 teams. He joined Trident Racing in 2007 and won his first race in Monaco. However, he had to miss the last four races of the season because he broke his collarbone during training.
In 2008, he moved to the Piquet Sports team. He had two pole positions and two podium finishes by mid-season. He finished fifth in the drivers' championship after four podium finishes, including a win at Spa, in the last six races.
For the 2009 season, he joined the ART Grand Prix team. He finished sixth overall, helping ART win the teams' championship. He also won a race in the 2009 Euroseries 3000 to gain experience on a new track.
In 2010, Maldonado drove for the Rapax Team. He won the championship in the second-to-last race at Monza. He won six races in a row, which is a record for the GP2 series. He finished 16 points ahead of Sergio Pérez and helped Rapax win the Teams' Championship.
Formula One Career
Maldonado was considered for a spot in Formula One in 2010. He took part in young driver tests for Williams and Hispania Racing. On December 1, 2010, Williams announced that Maldonado would join their team for the 2011 season. He also brought sponsorship from the Venezuelan government.
Williams (2011–2013)
2011 Season
Maldonado's first Formula One race in Australia ended early due to car problems. He finished his first race in China in eighteenth place. He showed good speed in qualifying, reaching the final qualifying session in Spain and Monaco. In Monaco, he was running in sixth place but had an incident with Lewis Hamilton and had to stop. He scored his first Formula One point at the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix, finishing tenth. He ended the season in nineteenth place in the Drivers' Championship. Williams confirmed he would stay for the 2012 season.
2012 Season
Maldonado started the 2012 season with good speed, qualifying eighth in Australia. He scored his first points of the season by finishing eighth in China. At the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, Maldonado qualified second. He was later moved to pole position (first place) after Lewis Hamilton was disqualified. Maldonado then won the race, becoming the first Venezuelan driver to win a Grand Prix! He is still the most recent Williams driver to win a race. After the race, a fire broke out in the Williams pit, and Maldonado helped carry his cousin to safety.
The rest of the 2012 season was challenging. He faced several penalties for various incidents during races and qualifying. For example, in Monaco, he started last due to penalties. In Europe, he had an incident with Lewis Hamilton and received a penalty. In Britain, he had another incident with Sergio Pérez. Despite these challenges, he scored points in Japan, Abu Dhabi, and the USA. He finished the season in fifteenth place in the Championship with 45 points.
2013 Season
Maldonado continued with Williams for the 2013 season, with Valtteri Bottas as his teammate. He felt the new car was not as good as the previous one. He had to retire from the first two races in Australia and Malaysia due to car problems.
At the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix, Maldonado was involved in an incident that caused a red flag. He was not hurt. He scored his only point of the season in Hungary, finishing tenth. He ended the season in eighteenth place.
Lotus (2014–2015)
On November 29, 2013, Maldonado joined the Lotus F1 team for the 2014 season, partnering Romain Grosjean. He chose car number 13, which is rarely used in Formula One.
2014 Season
The 2014 season was difficult for Maldonado. He was involved in several incidents and received penalties. For example, in Bahrain, he had an incident with Esteban Gutiérrez. In China and Spain, he had incidents during practice or qualifying. He also had another incident with Esteban Gutiérrez at Silverstone.
Despite these challenges, he managed to score his only points of the 2014 season at the 2014 United States Grand Prix, finishing ninth. He finished the season in sixteenth place in the Drivers' Championship.
2015 Season
Maldonado continued with Lotus in 2015. He faced more challenges and incidents during the season. In Australia, he had an incident on the first lap. In Malaysia, his car had a puncture after being hit by another driver. In China, he had brake issues and spun his car. In Bahrain, he parked in the wrong grid slot and was involved in an incident on the first lap.
He had two good races in Canada and Austria, finishing seventh in both. However, he was involved in more incidents, including one with his teammate Romain Grosjean in Spain and with Max Verstappen in Monaco. He also had incidents in Hungary, Spa, and Monza.
In Singapore, he had an incident with Jenson Button. Despite the challenges, he scored points in Japan, Russia, and the USA. He finished the season with 27 points and fourteenth place in the Drivers' World Championship.
Maldonado was supposed to continue with Lotus in 2016, but the team was bought by Renault. His contract was ended due to problems with his sponsor, and he was replaced by Kevin Magnussen.
Pirelli Test Driver (2017)
In 2017, Maldonado became a test driver for Pirelli, a tire company. He tested a GP2 car to help develop new tires for the season. He had his first tests at the Mugello and Barcelona tracks.
Attempts to Return to Racing
After Nico Rosberg retired from Formula One in 2016, Maldonado talked with the Sauber Motorsport team about returning to Formula One, but no agreement was reached. He also talked with an IndyCar team, KV Racing Technology, but that didn't work out either.
World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Daytona
2018–2019 Season
On March 21, 2018, DragonSpeed announced that Pastor Maldonado would compete in the entire "superseason" of the FIA World Endurance Championship. He raced in the LMP2 category with an Oreca 07 car, alongside Roberto González and other teammates. They finished third in their category in the championship.
Pastor also competed in the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona in the LMP2 category with DragonSpeed. He and his teammates, Roberto González, Sebastián Saavedra, and Ryan Cullen, won their category in that race.
Personal Life
Maldonado is known for being open about his political views, which is not common for racing drivers. He considers himself a socialist and was a friend of the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. He was one of the people who stood guard at Chávez's funeral.
Maldonado married Venezuelan journalist Gabriela Tarkanyi on December 15, 2012, in Canaima, Venezuela. They have two daughters, born in September 2013 and November 2017.
Images for kids
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Maldonado at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
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Maldonado driving for ART Grand Prix at the 2009 Turkish GP2 Series race.
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Maldonado driving for Williams at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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Maldonado driving for Williams at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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Maldonado's car after an incident at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix.
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Maldonado started on the front row for the second time at the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix.
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Maldonado at the 2012 United States Grand Prix.
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Maldonado during practice at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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The remains of Maldonado's Williams after an incident at the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix. Photographed at the Haynes International Motor Museum in 2024.
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Maldonado at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix.
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Maldonado at the 2015 British Grand Prix.
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Maldonado driving in the 2018 6 Hours of Silverstone.
See also
In Spanish: Pastor Maldonado para niños
