Wolff: ‘Nice guy’ Pastor is learning

Williams executive director Toto Wolff has backed Pastor Maldonado to come back stronger following his recent woes…

Williams executive director Toto Wolff has backed Pastor Maldonado to come back stronger following his recent woes.

Maldonado isn’t exactly the most popular driver in Formula One at the moment as he has received criticism from various corners for his aggressive driving style.

The Venezuelan has incurred a host of penalties so far this season, but he has also proved that he tremendous potential with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Wolff, who believes Maldonado is paying a heavy price for putting one foot wrong in Monaco, is confident the 27-year-old will learn from recent events.

“He’s got a huge raw talent – he is extremely fast. And he is a nice guy, which is important because you need to be socially competent to function in that environment,” he told the official Formula 1 website.

“The new generation of drivers needs to be like that.

“Yes, he seems to struggle in some situations in the race. From one stupid, heated incident in Monaco it has almost become an avalanche – and this is affecting his performance. But I think he has understood now that he has to take a different approach – this is not GP2.

“But he is an intelligent guy and he will learn from it. He understands that he is in a difficult situation, but he will rise above it. Of that I am 100 percent sure.

“Remember Ayrton Senna in the beginning? Nobody wanted to touch him. In those days there weren’t many grid penalties, but had there been he would probably have had to go back 10 places on the grid many times. (laughs)”