Pastor Maldonado is looking forward to a major power boost at Hockenheim next weekend. The 2012 Spanish grand prix winner, who chose to race the number '13' this year and beyond, has had a dire campaign since switching from Williams to Lotus over the winter. Along with Sauber and the backmarkers, the Venezuelan is yet to score a solitary point this year as the Enstone based team grapple with poor pace and reliability.
But things could be about to get better. Speed Week reports that Maldonado has been using struggling engine supplier Renault's older engine specification. But at the Silverstone test this week, he finally got a taste of the updated V6 unit, marvelling: "It felt as if I suddenly had two engines in the car. Based on the data we have, the difference between the old and the new engine specification is 60 horse power," he exclaimed.
According to world champion Sebastian Vettel, however, Maldonado might be wrong to set his sights too high. Red Bull has been at the cutting edge of Renault's efforts to up its game in 2014 after a disastrous winter, but Vettel says the gap to Mercedes has stayed the same. "Right now the gap is very big and we haven't really closed the gap since race one," the German told Britain's Sky. "Obviously we have tried lots of stuff to improve, but they (Mercedes) are doing the same thing." (GMM)
Maldonado gets updated V6: "Felt as if I had two engines"
- Published on 11 Jul 2014 08:45
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
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Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
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Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
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1 - May 3
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Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
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Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
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Driver profile
- Team Renault
- Points 27
- Podiums 0
- Grand Prix 19
- Country VE
- Date of b. Mar 9 1985 (41)
- Place of b. Maracay, Aragua, VE
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.73 m
- 27,547 comments on Renault
9 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Pastor Maldonado
Team profile
- Team name Sauber
- Base - Switzerland
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Kimi Räikkönen 7
- Felipe Massa 8
- Marcus Ericsson 9
- Nico Hülkenberg 11
- Felipe Nasr 12
- Esteban Gutierrez 12
- Felipe Massa 12
- Felipe Massa 12
- Kamui Kobayashi 14
- Sergio Perez 15
- Charles Leclerc 16
- Kamui Kobayashi 16
- Sergio Perez 17
- Kimi Räikkönen 17
- Esteban Gutierrez 21
- Kamui Kobayashi 23
- Guanyu Zhou 24
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Antonio Giovinazzi 36
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- Pascal Wehrlein 94
- Adrian Sutil 99
- 115,816 comments on Sauber
- 5 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Sauber
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