Comparing himself to Max Verstappen, Pastor Maldonado reveals he was in talks to move to Ferrari in 2014 alongside Alonso.
Former driver Pastor Maldonado was Williams’ last race winner. He is perhaps better remembered for his accident-prone driving style. Nevertheless, the Venezuelan revealed he was in close talks with Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari’s principal at the time.
“I met Domenicali a few times, and I also met di Montezemolo. At some point, we got very close to Ferrari. I was expecting the move at the time.
He compares his position as a promising championship contender like world champion Max Verstappen. “It’s like Verstappen at the moment. Like Robert Kubica at his time. I was the guy at the time.”
“People were coming to me, they were happy to talk to me, and they were happy to discuss me. In the end, the move didn’t happen with discussions ceasing abruptly.”
“We lost the contacts and the communication, and we focused elsewhere”, Maldonado said. In the end, Ferrari ended up replacing Felipe Massa with Kimi Raikkonen. Following this, Kimi Raikkonen’s driver’s championship title in 2007 remains the most recent for a Ferrari driver.
Also Read: Fernando Alonso opens up about his relationship with Kimi Raikkonen
Pastor Maldonado move would have resulted in all Spanish speaking drivers line up at Ferrari
If the move did go through, it would mean the Maranello based team’s lineup would be entirely Spanish speaking. Carlos Sainz also proved to be a promising Spanish prospect for the team this season.
Many believed he wouldn’t keep up with teammate Charles Leclerc. However, Sainz outscored his teammate. Perhaps we will see another Spanish Ferrari champion next season?
Also Read: Carlos Sainz reveals that being a Ferrari driver brings up extra pressure
