Interview with Pastor Maldonado
16/05/2008
The Bridgestone-supported GP2 Series heads to the glittering port of Monte Carlo for the twists and turns of the Monaco Grand Prix, for many the highlight of the season. For young drivers wanting to make their mark, Monaco offers a superb opportunity as they dice for position in front of motorsport’s decision makers. This season, for the first time, there will be two, rather than one, GP2 Series races at the Principality. Last year Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado won the Monaco race, driving for Trident Racing. Now a driver for the Piquet Sports squad, Maldonado hopes to score the double this time.
Q: You won the single race in Monaco last season – how will you be trying for a double victory in 2008?
A: The concentration needed in Monaco is the hardest part. You have to be physically and mentally at the top because you cannot make a mistake on track, because if you do, you will crash into the Armco. For this circuit you can look at the preparation of the driver, physically and mentally, and for sure you need a good car, but the most important thing on a street circuit is the driver finding the limit. I found the limit very easily on this circuit and I won my first GP2 Series race here, so I feel confident.
Q: Bridgestone brings the super soft compound Potenza slick tyre to Monaco – how different is this tyre from the other two compounds?
A: The super soft tyre is very different. In terms of warm-up, the super soft tyre is immediately ready and you can push. In comparison, the medium and hard compound tyres take around two laps to warmup, and be ready to do its maximum lap times. In Monaco it’s very important to have this compound because the streets here are always very slippery and it is not the same as a permanent circuit. So to have more grip the super soft compound is used and this is the perfect compound.
Q: What is the key to tyre management at this track?
A: It’s very difficult to get the right strategy in Monaco, because of the safety cars and the yellow flags. In my last race there were two or three safety cars and I was just lucky to have a good strategy which took advantage of this. I pitted maybe two laps before a safety car and this worked out for me. For this year I’m very optimistic, but you can’t say what will be the best strategy as it is very close and the circuit always has many incidents and, for sure, there will be cars stopped out on track.
Q: How beneficial is the GP2 Series for your career?
A: For sure, it’s good to be in the Formula One paddock and alongside Formula One races. It’s good to learn here as this could be my future. My objective is Formula One and now I am very close. These are the most important years in my career, and I need to be very focused, push very hard and continue like this at this level, at the top. It is very important to learn about the drivers and about the teams; this is important experience for the future.