Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado has been criticised by two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen, with the Finn calling for tougher penalties for repeat offenders such as the Venezuelan to deter them from making the same mistakes twice.
Maldonado is well known for his errors, the most recent coming at the Brazilian Grand Prix when he made contact with Marcus Ericsson, spinning the Sauber driver and ruining the Swede’s race.
Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said about the incident: “It’s very, very annoying that it’s always him. It’s not the first time he has been involved in such an incident.”
Meanwhile Maldonado described his five-second penalty as harsh, believing it was a racing incident which didn’t even warrant an investigation.
Hakkinen however believes the sanction was justified, as drivers who repeatedly offend should face tougher penalties.
“If a driver doesn’t learn from his mistakes, then tougher penalties should be introduced for him,” the former McLaren driver told Finland’s Ilta Sanomat.
“Maldonado doesn’t seem to learn anything from his mistakes. I think when the other drivers race him, they don’t really ever know what he’s going to do next.
“I could understand if you’re racing on the last laps and the race victory is at stake, but generally he should be using more common sense.”
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