It's Official: No Pastor Maldonado On The 2016 F1 Grid

So there we have it, official confirmation from Pastor Maldonado himself. The Venezuelan driver will not be on the F1 grid in 2016 after exiting the Renault team.

Rumours about Maldonado’s future in F1 picked up pace recently after his sponsor PDVSA hit trouble, due to corruption scandals, the drop in oil prices and late payments.

Maldonado is a race winner in F1, after finishing first at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, but his unpredictable, erratic driving style and antics have given the 30-year-old a villainous reputation in the sport.

Now he has confirmed that he will not be racing in F1 this season. He joined the grid in 2011 with Williams but switched to Lotus for the 2014 campaign. He is expected to be replaced at the team, which was recently taken over (again) by Renault, by ex-McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen.

He said in a statement posted on Twitter:

“As everyone knows in recent days there have been a number of rumours about my immediate future in Formula 1. Today, with the utmost humility, I inform you that I will not be present at the starting grid for the 2016 F1 season.

“Thanks for all your messages of support, passion and concern for my future. I feel very honoured with the support of all of you and proud of my professional performance.”