Ex-Lotus & Williams driver Pastor Maldonado has confirmed he will not be competing in F1 this year after recently losing his seat to Kevin Magnussen.
Magnussen made it official by signing his deal for a 2016 seat at the new Renault Works team, leaving Maldonado to declare that his immediate future is not in Formula 1.
“As everyone knows, in recent days, there have been a number of rumours about my immediate future in Formula 1,” said the Venezuelan.
“Today I most humbly inform you I will not be present on the starting grid for the 2016 F1 season. Thanks for all your messages of support, passion and concern for my future. I feel very honoured, with the support of all of you and proud of my professional performance.”
“I thank God, my family, my sponsors, my friends, my fans and all who have helped me realise this great dream of being able to represent Venezuela in the pinnacle of motorsport. See you soon.”
With these words, Maldonado put an end to his five-year Formula 1 career, after starting in 95 races and even winning one back in 2012 when he was driving for Williams.
While it’s official that Maldonado’s sponsor, PDVSA, was the one that became involved in a dispute with Renault, leading to the 30 year old Venezuelan losing his seat, it’s also known that Maldonado had a reputation as a very aggressive driver, prone to accidents.
Whether Renault wasn’t exactly high on him as a member of their new outfit, is something we can only speculate about.
Story references: autosport
PHOTO GALLERY
