Maldonado relieved to have opened his points tally in 2014

Pastor Maldonado finished 9th in the United States Grand Prix held last weekend, giving the Venezuelan the opportunity to score his first points during the 17th round of the 19 scheduled this season.

The Lotus driver has waited a very long time – while his teammate Romain Grosjean has already finished twice in the points, in Spain and Monaco for a total of 8 points. When asked how it felt to finally score, Maldonado expressed relief and ambition for the end of the season: « It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders! But as soon as you reach a goal, you immediately move on to the next one. So our goal is already to try to do better this weekend in Brazil. »

The Venezuelan also discussed the reason for this newfound competitiveness, better sensations with his E22: « With the team, we learned a lot about the car in Austin and found settings that allow me to be really confident to attack, but also remain consistent and manage the tires. »

Maldonado believes he has finally unlocked the potential of his Lotus and hopes to do well in the last two races of the year, starting with Interlagos this weekend: « It is important to remember that we were competitive for the most part of the weekend in Austin – even though we dedicated quite a bit of time to trying things like the 2015 nose in practice – and we must continue to work this way in the next two races. The car is getting better and better to drive, and we have been able to extract more from it in the last races. »