Hugo Chavez has won the Venezuelan presidential elections and that means that the team’s sponsorship from PDVSA (and other Venezuelan firms) will continue, without anyone asking too many questions about whether or not the parliament had any say in the decision to pour vast sums of money into Pastor Maldonado’s F1 career.
Now a national hero after his win in Spain, Pastor is nonetheless frustrating the team with his inability to score since Barcelona. Pastor’s eighth place in Japan was the first time he has added to his score since the win in Spain, while Bruno Senna has scored in no fewer than seven races and has been sneaking closer to Maldonado’s total all year.
If Maldonado continues to be brilliant but flawed it is possible that the PDVSA budget could be transferred to another Venezuelan driver, if a better package comes along.
Maybe Williams should take Johnny Cecotto Jr instead.
I don’t think he is ready
How is Cecotto Jr any better than Maldonado?
he crashes more spectacularly for starters
Joe,
Why was Pastor talking about not necessarily staying with Williams next year?
One would have thought he would be a shoe-in based on the logic in this and your previous post?
Who knows. Who else would take him if he did not have the money?
Force India?
Sorry missed the if he did not have the money!
I doubt Hugo ‘winning’ has anything to do with the continued sponsorship.
Why, it’s the will of the people Joe, that nationalised assets be used to fund a exercise in gross vanity.
I’m sure you can go to any of the many places in Venezuela where people live in abject poverty and ask – ‘Luis’ don’t the problems of a lack of basic human rights, running water and shoes for your children become but trivial non issues when you look at what this great man has been able to bring to Venezuela?
A driver in F1, well I’ll be.
Could you give 10,000 children the opportunity to break out of poverty with this money? Of course you could but you need to think big, why next you may be able to enter a Horse at Badminton? That is – with the ‘will of the people’;
Socialism truly is a shining light for humanity.
Too sarcastic?
Yes. Every nation likes an inspiring hero. Some will pay for it.
That is a ridiculous amount for an inspiring hero in these circumstances and to boot currently he isn’t (much of an inspiring hero) – now if it was Bruno perhaps
He is inspiring if you are a Venezuelan.
He is a GP winner, that would make him inspiring for every country I suppose. The problem is hardly him though. Have you researched how many other drivers and team are funded by Venezuela money? And by that I mean all the way down to Mini category in Italian karting. You will be amazed.
F1 itself costs a ridiculous amount for a series that has just 3 teams competing… if we care about best results per dollar (or pound or euro or peso or whatever), we’re all in the wrong place…
Now, I can understand Brits doing it (as it basically the English championship plus Ferrari) but what about the rest of us?
It’s nothing to do with socialism Matt – that’s too easy – and everything to do with dictators.
On the other hand, back in 1949, when another South American dictator – Juan Peron – spent public money sending promising drivers to Europe, it would have been easy to make a similar dismissive comment. But it would have been a pity not to have enjoyed the European careers of Juan-Manuel Fangio et José-Froilan Gonzalez, wouldn’t it ?
Matt would do well to look at Chavez’s economic record with regard to improving the economic lot of the Venezuelan poor people that he imagines to be some kind of scar on the government there (a government elected in fair elections, lest we forget).
I do not wish this blog to get bogged down in politics as I am sure that people will dispute whether there was a free and fair election. However this blog is about about motor racing, so let’s keep it that way.
> Socialism truly is a shining light for humanity.
>
> Too sarcastic?
Not too sarcastic, but not too well informed either…
Both socialism and capitalism have a lot to apologize for… the *only* system that has ever worked to build and maintain a large middle class is the hybrid system that combined the best of both. This is what the US, the UK, and the rest of what we used to call the Free World did to shame communism out of existence.
The Cold War was a 50-year contest to see which system would do the best job of giving the greatest % of people the best possible life. After half-a-century, the commies saw the results and basically just gave up.
That’s when the rest of us got conned into giving up the very things that made that hybrid system work so well. So-called leaders started telling us that pure capitalism is what won the Cold War. It didn’t, the hybrid combination is what did it.
Pure capitalism gives you Dickensian life, and works only if you’re trying to turn starving people into a downtrodden working class. Which is why it worked when America was taking in boatloads of hungry people, and is why it’s working in China now. But if what you want is a system that permits a large middle class, then what you need is the hybrid system that incorporates the best of both. It’s the only system that has ever worked.
It works because it’s a practical solution. Ideology is the enemy, it cons people into wearing blinders about practical solutions, so they cut their own throat by supporting policies that screw normal people.
Interestingly I came upon this yesterday – it appears to be an invoice from Williams to PDVSA for £29m ($49m). https://mobile.twitter.com/thejudge13/status/255255376201650176?photo=1 Appears to be rather a lot.
This, along with the multi-page contract, has been floating around for a long time.
Dunno what happening. Just made a post and it dissapeared.
Anyway. I came across an invoice from Williams to PDVSA for Sponsorship for 2012. https://mobile.twitter.com/thejudge13/status/255255376201650176?photo=1
Have to say £29m ($49m) surprised me. You’ve read their accounts Joe, this bout right?
This appears to be the figure invoiced, but I heard it was more than that.
It is ChaveZ, not ChaveS…
I’ve spent so long in France I use “chaves” to refer to female chavs.
Would this be some good news for Senna as he was more consistent in scoring points then Maldanado? Or would he be axed anyway as he did make too much mistakes? ( I think that altough not a brilliant driver he did have some bad luck and could possibly do better in a second year)
Joe, the fact that Pastor is, “Outspoken, which is incredibly rare in the racing world… about politics” is a fact that should be celebrated not slighted. Furthermore, Hugo Chaves was just re-elected by a resounding majority in a country that has been embargoed and subverted (at least his party has) since he took office and told the multi-nationals to treat domestic workers right or the govt. would take control and do it for them… Mentioning PDVSA, Pastor, Chaves, verb, adjective, every time he is mentioned is disingenuous. The money he brings to Williams is a badly beaten horse considering the entities that other drivers have had to suck up to. Especially when he is the only driver (with the possible exception of Petrov) where every time his name is mentioned, anywhere in the press, his accomplishments are cheapened immediately afterword. If we are reading your blog we know, drivers ring money to teams, all of them, why is it only mentioned in a couple of cases that coincidentally correlate with governments that have been ostracized by the west (while they continue to worship industrialists and bankers that have 100x the blood on their hands compared to Chaves)?
It is completely irrelevant in F1 whether he says things about politics or not.
that was not an answer to his question. lots of state run companies invest into f1, circuits and certain drivers, but besides chavez, non are regularly questioned for doing it.
It is not the same thing. Being questioned about something is fine. It is agued in Venezuela that PDVSA was never given parliamentary clearance for the deal. I am not sure if that would really be necessary, but this is one argument that has been put forward and we know the figure of the sponsorship because the opposition leaked the paperwork.
Excellent post, couldn’t agree more.
Do you think Williams will keep Bruno? He’s been performing solidly but not spectacularly and is far off Maldonado’s pace (when Maldonado stays on track). Would Williams keep him, or look to Bottas to be a more reliable driver for the team?
Sorry, I see you addressed this already. My oversight.
He’s gone.
Is that conjecture, informed opinion or a statement of fact?
It’s a pity, in my opinion. Mostly because I think we wanted to see Bruno do well, given *that* name with *that* team. And, I think, because of what Artyon said about him in 1993…
Has anyone ever really backed up Ayrton’s claims that Bruno was a serious talent, or was it just an uncle being supportive of his nephew?
Well, the long enforced break Bruno had after Ayrtons death probably impacted his development significantly. Personallly I think he must have had serious talent to have even made it to F1 in this day and age after having that long out of motorsport at such a crucial age in a drivers development.
I sincerely hope Pastor gets another chance next year because he deserves it and I would like to believe he has learned the lessons from this year. But at the same I have to question how Williams manage their drivers. Senna should have been fired long ago!
I remember when Patrick Head explained why they axed Zanardi who certainly was a very good driver while the Williams of the time was a lame duck. But Head had to say that Zanardi “lacked the correct approach to modern racing” etc etc. They badly failed at making a corporate robot out of him. This is the sort of nonsense you still hear nowadays, e.g. when the wise man called Dr Helmut Marko had to say last year why Red Bull fired Buemi and Alguersuari : These are not winning drivers, he said! That was a stunning scoop!
Hopefully Bottas can find a check big enough to ensure him the second seat for next year.
Maldonado getting another chance? I’m still laughing. He will be there until someone better arrives from Venezuela. Or the government falls, or Williams finds more money from elsewhere (which is pretty unlikely).
Maldonado’s career looks better than Button’s at this point even if the English press does not agree.
Button: 1 World Championship 223 Grands Prix 14 wins Average: 15.9 races per win
Maldonado: 0 World Championship 34 Grands Prix 1 win Average: 34.0 races per win
As to Button’s career after 34 races, it is not a fair comparison because he did one year at Williams and then had to move teams. Maldonado has had the good fortune to be in the same team for two years. Stability is important.
Seriously CLK_GTR?? Have you flipped? (bad pun).
If Senna has kept his seat for so long, why shouldn’t Maldonado? I like gutsy pilots with big balls like him. If he’s not completely stupid he should have learned by now.
But then, let’s say that Williams is not known for doing smart moves with their pilots. I wouldn’t be surprised if they mess up again big way next year. And that’s one reason why they will remain in the lower half of the ranking. Notwithstanding the technical boss who stole 800 pages from another team.
Don’t suppose there’s any chance of the Hulk going back to Team Willy ? In fact, Joe, have you any news on him at all ? He has some money, doesn’t he, from Dekra ? Enough to make any difference anywhere ?
I keep dreaming up fantasy excuses for PM being such a utter plonker. My favourite is the theory that since Chavez likes to meddle in / control everything, PM keeps getting these calls. On the other end of the line is a head case dictator, and my mind can only boggle at what that could be like. Middle of the night ranting, complaints that WDC points translate into polling results, pseudo communist collective diatribes about pulling his weight . .
Some evidence for that here: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/maldonados-f1-win-stirs-controversy-venezuela
Yup, loads of fun, being reviled or at least spoken badly of by an opposition that may possibly represent the majority of your country . . .
My problem is that ever since his “Mr Venezuela” interview, I started thinking of PM as some kind of entertainment, in a screwed up kind of way. That was just surreal, and yet I think entirely staged for effect. I must watch it again somehow, because if it was staged, there could be a bit more than a hint of “up yours”, which, from memory, I sense. He seemed to be enjoying himself, a bit too much, if I recall. I enjoyed it. Utterly fascinating, not knowing who was laughing at who.
So who’s this guy’s manager? Does he understand any South American / Latino mentality? I shared my flat with a Columbian mate for a fair while. (add in ex career army in truly uncool deployments, and you get the volatile mix) Can’t relate how scary that guy could be. Until I sussed it was mitigated by flipping out over nothing. “Yeah I can go as nutty as you” [beats chest]
Seriously, it was fun hanging with my pal, been a while, and no, I’m not trying to stereotype, just if you get *that* type, well PM fits the bill and my pal would (on past form) have him shaped up pronto. Which casts a question mark whether a “good old fashioned talking to” will work.
Regardless of any other consideration, I don’t find PM dull. I’m sick of everything coming from drivers’ mouths being analysis. (Thought the Grosjean related quotes were fairly choice lately) But what to do with him? Anyone’s guess.
Joe, based on some of your other articles detailling the financial woes of the owners of Force India, might they make a play for the well sponsored driver to alleviate some cash flow issues? Does a Force India offer better prospect than a Williams, and are their drivers under contract for next year (not that it matters much!)
The key element in Force India’s improvement has been the alliance with McLaren. In order for that to continue, the team must keep paying. The problem for the team is that to get to the next level in F1, it needs to stop that alliance and invest in the same hardware of its own. Thus the team has – to some extent – bought the possibility of success (and delivered it) but now needs to invest more to make the next step. I cannot see that happening but India is a funny place so one can never say never.
Joe, is it known what McLaren delivers to Force India?
Yes, pretty much.
Like….ehm…entire engine-gearbox assembly? complete wheel hubs? consultancy on how to put heat into the tires? Complete systems to make cartoons? Management services? Wind tunnel renting?
Maldonado’s recent comments regarding possibly going to another team must have the corporate Williams’ gut in a knot!
When you owe a bank a million dollars, they have you by the balls; when you owe the bank a BILLION dollars, you have THEM by the balls. He is in a better position to garner consideration with Williams then any other driver in memory.
Pastor and his +$40 million dollar package is the elephant in the Williams Parlor.
IF he chose to leave Williams I can’t imagine any but the top four or five teams turning down that kind of lucre.
Maybe check your wordpress comments spam section joe – I think I’m in there under thejudge13 – I put a comment up this morning and am not posted above even though others have posted at later times and have since appeared – i forget all the time to check spam comments in my wordpress too – and most are not spam.
Either that or I’m banned
You are not banned but some comments get ditched if I consider them libellous or offensive
Fair comment – appreciate the rule clarification.
I think Maldonado gets a rough deal in the media quite often, yes he makes (often stupid) mistakes but he is very fast, whereas drivers like Petrov and Senna don’t make as many mistakes but just don’t do anything special. It is far easier for Maldonado to calm down than it would be for Senna to gain half a second a lap. I think Maldonado is a genuine talent who with the right help to calm him down could be a champion.
On the subject of money, whilst I don’t like it that you can get into F1 over a more talented driver if you have money, he is unfairly targeted. Perez for example brought a lot to Sauber, even Alonso brings in money. If you look at his performances since joining Williams they have been pretty good, he stacked up well as a rookie against Rubens (better than the Hulk did) and he has destroyed Senna in terms of pace and if he had not make the mistakes would be way ahead in terms of points
Let’s not rewrite history here. The Hulk did better against Rubens than Maldonado did in his first year. Maldo has come on in his 2nd year of course !). The Hulk did not get that chance.