Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta (March 9, 1985 - Present): A Venezuelan racing driver from Maracay, Maldonado competed in Formula One from 2011 to 2015, securing one remarkable victory across five seasons with Williams and Lotus, becoming the first and only Venezuelan driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. After winning the 2010 GP2 Series with Rapax, backed by significant financial support from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, Maldonado joined Williams for 2011 alongside Rubens Barrichello. His rookie season showed promise but was marred by incidents, finishing 16th in the championship. Everything changed on May 13, 2012, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya when Maldonado took pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix and converted it into an astonishing victory, defeating Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen.

The win made him the first Venezuelan in Formula One history to stand on a podium and win a race, and gave Williams their first victory since the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix—a drought of eight years. Remarkably, Maldonado's victory remains Williams' last Grand Prix win to date. The triumph was overshadowed by a horrific fire in the Williams garage shortly after caused by a KERS unit failure, though no one was seriously injured. Maldonado remained with Williams through 2013, achieving three additional points finishes but also gaining a reputation for accidents and collisions, including a notorious incident where he deliberately crashed into Lewis Hamilton after the 2011 European Grand Prix.

He moved to Lotus (later Renault) for 2014-2015, partnering Romain Grosjean. Maldonado's time at Lotus proved disappointing, with his best finish being fifth at the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix. The team's financial difficulties, partly caused by unpaid sponsorship money from PDVSA, and Maldonado's inconsistent performances led to his departure after 2015. His final Formula One race came at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

He achieved one race win, one pole position, and one podium across 95 race starts, scoring 71 career points. Following Formula One, Maldonado briefly competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Known for his aggressive driving style, involvement in numerous incidents, and the one glorious day when he conquered Barcelona, Maldonado remains a divisive but memorable figure in Formula One history, representing Venezuela's only Grand Prix victory.