Maldonado Aims for Top 10 Finish in Malaysia

Plenty of drivers did not experience the season start of their dreams in Australia, a couple of weekends back, yet more and more are optimistic that the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix will be the perfect place to get back on track. And one surprising name that makes that list is rookie Pastor Maldonado, who didn't get to pass the finish line in Melbourne at his first F1 race.

Heading to Malaysia for his first official outing on the Sepang International Circuit, the Venezuelan driver believes a Top 10 position at the chequered flag is achievable, especially since he will have already experienced a full Grand Prix weekend with his Williams team prior to the race this weekend.

“After a difficult start to the season in Melbourne, I'm more than ready to get to Malaysia,” he said in a preview for the Malaysian Grand Prix. “Despite the result in Australia, I am now feeling more confident with both the car and within the team. I think that we will be able to get more performance out of our car [at Sepang] as there is a lot of potential if we keep working hard.”

“Looking ahead, our objective is to continue to improve race after race,” he added. “I would like to be in the top 10 in both qualifying and the race, and I think we can achieve that.”

In Melbourne, Maldonado only managed to score the 15th best time of the pack in qualifying, while suffering a problem with his car's transmission in the early stages of the race. His teammate Rubens Barrichello wasn't luckier either, as he lost control of his car under braking midway through the running and bumped right into Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, resulting in a DNF for both racers.