Posted on Friday 11 Nov 2011
After having to learn several new tracks in the Far East, Pastor Maldonado finally returns to a circuit he knows this weekend: Yas Marina, in Abu Dhabi. Here are his thoughts ahead of the penultimate race of 2011.
Q: How much does prior knowledge of a racetrack help a driver?
PM: It helps a lot because it means I can get to work on the car as soon as practice starts on Friday morning. When you don’t know a track, you lose a bit of FP1 while you play around with braking points and lines, and that’s something I won’t have to worry about this weekend. It’s like gaining two runs during practice.
Q: Does your 10-place grid change your mindset going into the weekend?
PM: It means I have to attack! We’ll work hard on things like strategy and I’ll drive flat-out from start-to-finish in the race – like always. I still think I can do a good race and I hope to get close to the points. In fact, why not points this weekend?
Q: Do you think DRS will help overtaking in Sunday’s race?
PM: It works at some tracks and not at others. Here it’s very difficult to overtake – just look at what happened with [Fernando] Alonso and [Vitaly] Petrov last year – and so it should help us a lot in the race, particularly having two DRS zones. Some people don’t like the DRS, but I’m happy with the rules as they are, with KERS and DRS. Some of the overtakes are more artificial, but it’s the same for everybody.
Q: What do you think of the Yas Marina circuit?
PM: I like the track. It’s very technical, so it’s a challenge for the drivers and the engineers. As for the paddock and everything that surrounds the racetrack, this place is the best! It’s comfortable, it has everything you need and the hotels are close. I’m staying somewhere close by – not the Yas Hotel, but one that is within walking distance. It’s nice to walk into the track every morning because it allows me to warm up. These are Venezuelan temperatures, so I feel at home!
Q: Are you looking forward to your first twilight race?
PM: It will be a completely new experience for me, but that’s fine. I like new things and I haven’t heard any of the other drivers say visibility is a problem as the sun goes down.
Credit: at&t Williams F1 (www.williamsf1.com)
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