Pastor Maldonado is confident that he will have a better car for the 2012 season because it would be ‘impossible’ to build something worse than the Williams FW33.
The Venezuelan joined the Grove based outfit at the start of 2011 as a rookie having graduated from GP2. He believes he impressed in his first season, despite being thrown in at the deep end with a car well off the midfield pace.
“I was in the worst position for a rookie, when nothing worked, especially in the first year, you have to learn many things,” he told TotalRace. “Nevertheless, I could defend myself, even against Rubens [Barrichello]. It was very difficult to do, especially at first given his experience, speed and that he knows everyone in the team.”
Williams confirmed in December that the 26-year-old would continue to race for them in 2012 which, according to Maldonado, proves the team have faith in his abilities.
“I was very good,” he said. “The fact that it has been demonstrated and it gives me great confidence. After a year here, many things have changed within the team and they rely heavily on me. It’s something that fills me with pride because that means they believe in me.”
In return, Maldonado has placed his trust in Williams to build a better car for next season, something he doesn’t believe will be too hard, given the performance of the FW33.
“I trust the team because being worse than this year is impossible,” he added. “I’m sure we will improve, we have worked hard to grow as a team.
“I hope we have a better car, it must be more competitive than this year, so we always fight for points and important positions.”
