F1: Maldonado Impresses Again With Fourth On Grid

Formula 1

F1: Maldonado Impresses Again With Fourth On Grid

Pastor Maldonado will start third due to Sebastian Vettel being sent to back of Abu Dhabi grid...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted November 03, 2012 Abu Dhabi (ARE)

William's Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado drives during the first practice session at the Yas Marina circuit on November 2, 2012 in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. (Photo: Getty Images)

Pastor Maldonado put in another storming qualifying performance in Abu Dhabi, giving himself a chance to score some decent points on Sunday.

Remarkably Maldonado’s only career top six finish remains his Barcelona win in May in a season blighted by penalties and crashes. However he has regularly started from the first few rows of the grid, most famously in Spain, where Lewis Hamilton’s penalty handed him pole.

“It was quite difficult, especially in Q2,” said the Williams drive. “We got on the limit there – P10. But I saw the potential we had all weekend. We went down a little bit with the fuel for Q3, we found a great balance.

“I’m very happy because we are back strong again. I’m looking forward to these next three races, and I hope tomorrow is going to be a great one for us.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.

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