Pastor Maldonado gave Williams a first Formula One race win in almost
eight years on Sunday when he fought off local hero Fernando Alonso in a
thrilling Spanish Grand Prix.
The Venezuelan lost the start bur rebounded to beat Ferrari’s Alonso and
Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus for his first career victory the day after
getting his maiden pole after original fastest qualifier Lewis Hamilton
was moved to the end of the grid.
Maldonado is the fifth different winner from a fifth team in as many
2012 races, following Jenson Button (McLaren) in Australia, Alonso in
Malaysia, Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) in China and world champion Sebastian
Vettel (Red Bull) in Bahrain.
“First podium, first victory, you can imagine how I feel,” said Maldonado. “It is a wonderful day for me and the team.
“We have been pushing so hard to improve since last year and here we
are. Yesterday after a great qualifying and today we did it again.”
Williams had not topped a podium since Juan Pablo Montoya’s success at
the Brazilian GP in October 2004. Success came on the weekend of team
owner Frank Williams’ 70th birthday celebrations, with his family
present in Barcelona.
“All the boys are delighted, and I’m quietly delighted, boy did we need
that win as you can well imagine,” Williams told the BBC. “The car has
got possibilities and our rate of development has to exceed that of the
other teams.” Hamilton worked his way from last place in the grid —
imposed because McLaren didn’t give him enough fuel to bring him to the
pits at the end of qualifying — to eighth. Team—mate Jenson Button was
ninth while Vettel came sixth.
Vettel and Alonso have 61 points each atop the championship, Hamilton
53, Raikkonen 49, Red Bull’s Mark Webber 48 and Button 45 in a close
season.
“There is still a lot for us to understand,” said Vettel, who had to
serve a drive—through penalty for speeding under yellow flags and like
team—mate Mark Webber required a new front wing. “It is a long and
turbulent year, a lot can happen.” Alonso said that “second place at
home feels fantastic” and that ” we are back in front in the
championship with plenty of possibilities.” But record champion Michael
Schumcher who drove his Mercedes into the rear of Bruno Senna’s Williams
at turn one which forced both to retire. Schumacher shouted “idiot”
over team radio, saying that Senna made a strange manoeuvre.
Alonso squeezed past Maldonado for first place into the first right—hand
turn after the start and quickly built up a small lead on home ground.
But the Spaniard was held up briefly by a lapped Marussia and possibly
pitted one lap too late for the second time compared to Maldonado, who
came in two laps earlier, roared into the lead and was some seven
seconds ahead at the 33rd—lap halfway mark.
The gap closed again but Maldonado stayed ahead after the third round of stops he entered three laps ahead of Alonso.
Maldonado was told to look after his rear tyres as the two were
separated by little more than a second into the closing stages, but was
able to defend the lead and crossed the line in 1 hour 39 minutes 9.145
seconds for the 66 laps on the 4.655km course.
“It was a fantastic start ... and we had the momentum to lead for the
first part. But Williams anticipated the first stop better and as the
race went on we lost grip and maybe some aero,” said Alonso.
Maldonado said that “Fernando did a better start than me but I was
following the pace” before he regained the lead en route to victory.
The winner now also hopes to do well at the next race, the glamour event of the season on May 27 in Monaco.
“Monaco is a great opportunity for us to be strong again. We have to
keep pushing with the car. Consistency is the most important thing this
season,” Maldonado said.