CARACAS, (Telesurtv.net) .- Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, new driver for the Williams team for the 2011 Formula 1 season, expressed his excitement at having achieved promotion and stressed that the objective “is not only to get there” but “to do it well and win the finish line.”
“Happy, happy to have achieved this goal and to have done it with the support of my country, of all Venezuela (…) Thank you for the support throughout my career, I am proud, happy, speechless. The perseverance and work that we have put in day by day can be seen today, “said Maldonado in an exclusive interview for teleSUR.
He stressed that “it is not only to arrive, it is to do it well because winning is the goal (…) I am sure that from the pre-season tests on February 1 (2011) from those tests I will already be adapting in this new category, of this new team, but that will not be a problem ”.
“I really want to enter, I am very hungry for victory to win and we will work day after day and year after year to achieve it,” he said.
Regarding the expectations of being part of one of the teams with the greatest history and trajectory in Formula 1, Maldonado said that “it is an honor to be part of Williams. That motivates me, it leads me to keep fighting and give my best ”.
He also expressed his excitement to share with the Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in the team and said that “it is an honor because he is a legend of Formula 1, the most experienced of the entire grid.”
“Rubens’ experience is going to be very crucial to learn from him and improve and continue to grow day after day,” he added.
The Venezuelan driver won this Wednesday the FIA American Awards 2010 as Venezuelan Driver of Greater International Importance and in recognition of his sporting achievements, among which the obtaining of the title of GP2, Category prelude to Formula 1 stands out.
“The FIA award helps athletes a lot to keep working and improving because there is always room for improvement (…) These awards motivate people, athletes for the dream, the goal. I took it very pleasantly, “he stressed.
Pastor Maldonado, who reiterated his gratitude to Venezuela, called on the youth “to continue growing and continue to succeed, this is an example of continuing to dream for a goal.”
The Venezuelan driver was called up to Formula 1 after accumulating almost two thousand kilometers during four days in the recent tests that the highest category convened at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Maldonado will debut next year with the Williams team. With this achievement, the driver becomes the second Venezuelan in almost three decades to be part of F1, after Johnny Cecotto did the same between 1983 and 1984.