Williams chairman Adam Parr has dismissed claims that Pastor Maldonado is little more than a ‘pay-driver’, awarded a 2011 seat simply because of his sponsorship backing.
The Venezuelan has replaced Nico Hulkenberg at the Grove based outfit for the 2011 season, despite the German’s impressive rookie season which saw him secure pole position in Brazil.
The rise in so called ‘pay-drivers’ has increased significantly within the sport over the past few years as teams are struggling to raise the necessary budgets through traditional sponsorship.
Parr though insists Maldonado hasn’t secured his seat simply because of the backing he brings with him, branding the claims, “repulsive and irrelevant.”
“Never have we allowed a driver to sit in our car who we did not think was ready for F1, he deserves to be in F1 and is capable of delivering results,” he told F1 Racing.
“The guy just won the GP2 championship with a rookie team, taking more victories than anyone else. The mere fact that we have to talk about this is absurd. It’s a shame really,” he stressed.
“He has great talent. This is not just our opinion, we work with an independent driver trainer and he believes that, in terms of pure speed and talent, Pastor has as much capacity as the two Nico’s [Rosberg and Hülkenberg].”
Unlike Hulkenberg, Parr admitted Maldonado wasn’t a one-year fling for the team, declaring the team must invest in his future for the long-term.
“We do not see it as a one-year agreement, we must invest in the long term.”
