Pastor Maldonado confirms departure from F1 // The Venezuelan bids farewell to the sport... for now
Published by Christine
There have been rumblings for a few weeks now but Pastor Maldonado has taken the step of announcing his own departure from Renault F1, and Formula One as a whole, for now at least. Pastor’s future had been under increasing speculation due to the fact his sponsor, PDVSA, was struggling to meet required payments.
In a statement written by Pastor Maldonado, the Venezuelan admitted he wouldn’t be racing in Australia. It said: “Today I most humbly inform you I will not be present on the starting grid for the 2016 F1 season. Thanks for all your messages of support, passion and concern for my future.”
It reads as though Pastor hopes to return to the sport sooner rather than later, but he will have to watch from the sidelines for the start of the 2016 season, after five years in the sport. It’s looking more and more likely that Kevin Magnussen will be drafted in to replace Maldonado at Renault, although an announcement is not expected until mid-way through the week.
