You can't get toilet paper or milk in Venezuela unless you have a day or two to stand on line. And if you need prescription drugs you have to sneak into Columbia to buy them. But the Venezuelan government, through PDVSA, the state owned petro company, spends millions to keep this son of an apparatchik, and friend of Cesar Chavez in F1. There are so many things wrong with the Maldonado story that it would take a feature length film to address them all.
Nick you're right for all of these but as you can see...the guys who is in charge and responsible for Maldonado's country doesn't do any movement to make the conditions there better. Their only care is how their driver will compete and spoil the others races etc etc..
I think this footage is very unfair to Maldonado. It presents a collection of crashes, many of which weren't his fault, and indiscriminately blames him for everything. Some shunts were undeniably his faults, and he had a few of them, but too often what would be called "racing incidents" turn into "Maldonado's fault" because he is involved. From time to time, F1 need a whipping boy; it was Patrese at one point, later on Grosjean, now it's Maldonado. As for the fact that he is a "pay driver" form Venezuela, so what? What's wrong with being a "pay driver" ? Lauda started as a pay driver, so were many people who did well in F1. What about Perez, Guttierez, Ericson, Stevens, Chilton, etc...
That was funny, especially the jump start. The comments are funny too - someone actually "defends" him ("still Williams' only winner in 10 years!"). See here: Has Maldonado Crashed Today?
Humour at the expense of someone else is never good taste. The real sense of humour is self-depreciating.
And this: Pastor Maldonado claims his 'Crashtor' nickname is 'unlucky' and praises his 'big balls' in Formula One - Telegraph
He doesn't bother me. He sometimes doesn't help himself like crashing just coming into the pits... but he's done some great moves including this year. Claire Williams in an interview had nothing but great things to say about him. Underserving video but pretty funny.
Got to one minute thirty and yawned. Starts with Montoya blabbing about someone else then decided it was going to be a hatchet job on a GP winner. Not for me.
Quibble of the day... I think you mean Hugo Chavez. Cesar was the union organizer in Central California in the 60's that helped form the United Farm Workers. Jailed in the Salinas courthouse just down the street from John Steinbeck's childhood home. Si! Se Puede! And now, back to our regularly scheduled Maldonado Bashing. ��
There is a huge difference between Lauda and Maldonado, apart from the obvious chasm between their respective talents. Lauda bought his ride with money he borrowed, and repaid. Maldonado is taking money out of the coffers of the Venezuelan people, without their consent or his promise to repay. Maldonado, a proud and vociferous socialist, is happy to spend other peoples money for his personal benefit, so long as he does not have to return the favor.
Big +1. Lauda may have started as a pay driver but won with talent and skill. Pastor will be paying for his rides forever....or should I say the Venezuelan people?
Don't you think you are going too far comparing Maldonado to a bank robber? Maldonado is sponsored by an oil company that happens to be nationalised. So, what's the big deal? That's not something he decided, is it? What's the difference between having PDSA as sponsor, or Shell, or BP, or Total, or AGIP, or Mobil, or EXXON, etc...? Some are private companies, other are nationalised, but they all need advertising and we should be glad that the put some money in F1. I think you are barking up the wrong tree by blaming someone for receiving sponsorship, simply because you don't like the individual. I have never heard that Maldonado was "a proud and vociferous socialist". Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, who cares? In any case, what a man's political inclination has to do with motor racing?
Color me mortified. Of course I know the difference. But sometimes things just pop out because they sound familiar. Thanks for the catch.