Mat Coch writes:

Pastor Maldonado blew hot and cold in 2012. His race to victory in Spain showed he had the potential and ability to mix it with the very best, but it was ultimately outweighed by needless mistakes which cost him results and made him a regular visitor to the stewards' office.

It's a point the Venezuelan concedes. He readily admits he spent far too much time with the stewards last season and believes it's a problem he alone needs to address. There is nothing the team can do to assist, he admits, suggesting the issue lies within his own mid-race decision making process.

"I really hope to be away from the stewards trying to do clean races," he said on Thursday. "Last year I was having a difficult time with them."

Maldonado's future has been the subject of speculation since Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez died last week. A strong motor sport support Chavez invested heavily in sport, and was instrumental in providing millions of dollars' worth of state funded backing for Maldonado.

Chavez backed around fifty racing drivers worldwide according to Maldonado, while helping transform baseball and football in the country. "Before, people knew Venezuela for the oil and the girls," he explained. "Now it has changed."

"It's really sad for all the country," he added. "We need to keep pushing very hard especially for the country, which is having a great moment in terms of sport."