Pastor Maldonado was understandably happy after joining a growing list of winners this season, which has matched the record breaking 1983 season in which five different winners fron five different teams stood on the top step of the podium in the first five races.
The Venezuelan managed to hold of Fernando Alonso for the win despite losing the lead to the Spaniard on the opening lap, but that didn’t put a dampener on what he described as a “wonderful day.”
“For me, for the team, we’ve been pushing so hard to try to improve race by race and here we are,” he said after the race.
“Yesterday we had a great qualifying and today again it was a tough race because the strategy as well was hard because the rear tyres after a couple of laps we were struggling.
“But I’m really happy because the car was so competitive since the first lap. Fernando did a better start than me but I was just following the pace and it was so great.
“It’s my first podium and my first victory so you can imagine what I feel,” he added.
“It was so close,” explained Maldonado. “We were looking to manage the tyre degradation so I wasn’t pushing that hard just to keep the tyres alive for the end of the race and Fernando got so close.
“There was some moment that he was so close especially at the end of the race. But I was managing the gap and controlling everything. I think our pace today was pretty strong. The car looks fantastic even the team made a small mistake in the last pit stop but it didn’t affect our performance.”
