Pastor Maldonado on reputations, racing hard and that win in Spain

Pastor Maldonado was always a headline maker. The Venezuelan arrived in F1 in 2011 with Williams as GP2 champion, and the very next year delivered the team a first win in over seven years with a dazzling performance in Spain.
But for all his speed, and all his talent, Maldonado also found himself on the end of a large amount of criticism, sometimes from his fellow drivers, sometimes from the press, for his flamboyant and always committed approach.
This week on F1's official podcast - Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose - Maldonado pulls no punches as he discusses the highs and lows of his F1 career with host Tom Clarkson, including that famous victory in Barcelona, his run-ins with other drivers, being labelled a pay driver, the pressure from his homeland and much, much more...
To make sure you never miss an episode, subscribe to Beyond The Grid via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast app and you'll have a new episode delivered to your device every Wednesday.
Next Up
Related Articles
Beyond The GridThe best of 2025, from Norris’ evolution to Brad Pitt’s ‘need for speed’
‘I have achieved my dream, that little boy's dream’ – Norris
Getting to know the real Esteban Ocon
Power RankingsWho did our judges rank as the best F1 driver of 2025?
Brown insists McLaren ‘won’t change the way we race’
Verstappen confirms new number for 2026 season