180 replies to this topic

[Piif]

Is he the shittiest? Yes, he is. When you think of his "driving", his comments of Williams last year and his mentality overall, I think it's fairly easy to say that he's one of the worst drivers to grace the field in a decade at least. What do you think?

 

If his doings in Bahrain don't merit a race ban, I wonder what will.

Edited by Piif, 06 April 2014 - 16:24.

[Coral]

I agree with you about Maldonado. This guy is a menace and a ban is too long overdue. I was calling him for everything for ruining Lewis's race, but he is a danger to every driver on the track. I wish he would take his Venezuelan millions and just sod off.

[mclarensmps]

I've been saying this since his first season in F1... On a related note. These noses are outright dangerous. 

[Spillage]

Only eight drivers on the current grid have won a Formula 1 race. Maldonado is one of them. I agree that he gets into far too many scrapes and frankly can sometimes be downright dangerous, but it's ridiculous to say he's one of the worst drivers of the past ten years. If Maldonado is one of the worst, Bruno Senna must be the equivalent of a Tarso Marques or a Johnny Carwash.

I would not complain if he was given a race ban for today. But 'unpopular' and even 'dangerous' are not the same as 'talentless'.

[Borko]

He should simply be banned from driving a Formula 1 car.

[DutchQuicksilver]

One positive thing about Pastor's move: It proves these new noses are useless. They were brought in for safety aspects to make side impacts safer, but Gutierrez still flipped over.

Edited by DutchQuicksilver, 06 April 2014 - 17:10.

[Andrew Hope]

Racing accidents don't become bannable offenses when it's a guy you don't like who did something stupid. It was clearly accidental and it looked a lot worse than it was. If Maldonado deserves a race ban for that there's a dozen other incidents just as bad we've seen in the past few seasons that just looked better because the car didn't roll.

[Gorma]

One positive thing about Pastor's move: It proves these new noses are useless. They were brought in for safety aspects to make side impacts safer, but Gutierrez still flipped over.

Actually one of the reasons was so we wouldn't see flyers a la Mark Webber.

[Richard T]

3 penalties for Maldonado

• 10 second stop/go in the race today
• 5-place grid penalty for China
• 3 points on his licence

 

Not enought TBH, A 1-race ban would be fait for that accident. Also it appears that the low noses has unintended consequenses 

[Jon83]

He should be banned.

 

Andrew - Grosjean in Spa 2012 could be considered a 'racing accident' as well. But Maldonado has been involved in far too many and just doesn't learn. 

[Fastcake]

One positive thing about Pastor's move: It proves these new noses are useless. They were brought in for safety aspects to make side impacts safer, but Gutierrez still flipped over.

 

The tyres hit each other, I'm not sure what the nose has to do with it.

 

Racing accidents don't become bannable offenses when it's a guy you don't like who did something stupid. It was clearly accidental and it looked a lot worse than it was. If Maldonado deserves a race ban for that there's a dozen other incidents just as bad we've seen in the past few seasons that just looked better because the car didn't roll.

 

When you've been involved in as many incidents as Maldonado, most of which have been his fault, you generally lose any benefit of the doubt.

[dweller23]

Any other driver would do that, noone would make such thread about them. Anyway, Maldonado was mighty in the first half today, fighting fair and square with Ferraris, if he didn't do that stupid crap, he'd be in points by the end of the race (with two Maccas retiring).

[Jon83]

Any other driver would do that, noone would make such thread about them. Anyway, Maldonado was mighty in the first half today, fighting fair and square with Ferraris, if he didn't do that stupid crap, he'd be in points by the end of the race (with two Maccas retiring).

 

But he did do that 'stupid crap' and he has done it far too often.

 

There is no case for the defence here. 

[4MEN]

I've been saying this since his first season in F1... On a related note. These noses are outright dangerous. 

Agreed. Gutierrez shouldn't have rolled with last year's noses.

[krobinson]

Maldonado should be banned for this stupidity, his actions were absurd

[emmanuelrubi]

Only of 2014 ? probably the worst since 2011 or more.

[STIGG]

and '13 and '12 and '11 . . . 

[ANF]

Two Minutes Hate starts NOW!

[FenderJaguar]

he should be banned. not because of the move, but because he looks like a gorilla and has the voice of a little girl. and because is funded by Venezuela. I don't think I can be more honest than that.

[Lights]

Should be a race ban. How else is he going to learn something. It helped Grosjean.

[Cyanide]

He's a moron and has no place in this sport. 

[krobinson]

he should be banned. not because of the move, but because he looks like a gorilla and has the voice of a little girl. and because is funded by Venezuela. I don't think I can be more honest than that.

[LuckyStrike1]

Should be a race ban. How else is he going to learn something. It helped Grosjean.

 

Maldonado has been banned before. How much that helped I'll leave to all of you to discuss. 

[spacekid]

Who was the 'crazy Lotus guy' that Vergne complained about at the start? I never saw what happened.

[string158]

Who was the 'crazy Lotus guy' that Vergne complained about at the start? I never saw what happened.

 

Commentators said is was Maldonado, but we never saw a replay of that one.

 

Ted also mentioned that Vergne had also complained that the crazy Lotus guy had tried to kill him...

[spacekid]

Commentators said is was Maldonado, but we never saw a replay of that one.

Ted also mentioned that Vergne had also complained that the crazy Lotus guy had tried to kill him...

Cheers. I suspected as much. I'm surprised Sky haven't bothered to follow up on that one.

[Lights]

Maldonado has been banned before. How much that helped I'll leave to all of you to discuss. 

 

Not in F1, if I remember correctly? If not, yeah it didn't help a bit.

[AriGoldBawse]

terrible driver

 

only in F1 because he has big sponsors

 

constantly causing crashes, something has to be done

[Fastcake]

Should be a race ban. How else is he going to learn something. It helped Grosjean.

 

I remember Maldonado driving a lot more cleanly for the rest of that season, before regressing again last year. Apart from that one win where he drove a strong clean race, he's spent most of his F1 career either causing trouble or achieving very little.

[string158]

Cheers. I suspected as much. I'm surprised Sky haven't bothered to follow up on that one.

 

yeah, surprised they havent mentioned it. but it obviously wasnt investigated during the race, so who knows.

[Jon83]

yeah, surprised they havent mentioned it. but it obviously wasnt investigated during the race, so who knows.

 

Ted's notebook might shed some light on it. 

[mgs315]

It's bizarre that we're talking about a race winner in such a bad way.

Not defending him at all, just a bizarre situation.

[midgrid]

The incident was clearly Maldonado's fault, and he deserved his penalty.

 

If he is indeed constantly causing crashes, then the new penalty points system should take care of that pretty quickly.

[spacekid]

It's bizarre that we're talking about a race winner in such a bad way.

Not defending him at all, just a bizarre situation.

It was a bizarre race win. 2 years on and I'm still not sure what happened there.

[Ellios]

Maldonado makes Romain Grosjean look like a saint

[Disgrace]

Maldonado should have been sat out of races after using his car as weapon on two occasions already. I don't see this mistake as a offence for which he should be banned, but I wouldn't be sympathetic should he get what he is due.

[meddo]

This is absurd. Danny Ric gets 10 places for nothing, and this excuse for a racing driver gets 5. 

[DanardiF1]

Racing accidents don't become bannable offenses when it's a guy you don't like who did something stupid. It was clearly accidental and it looked a lot worse than it was. If Maldonado deserves a race ban for that there's a dozen other incidents just as bad we've seen in the past few seasons that just looked better because the car didn't roll.

 

That may well be the case, but then if it's not just for this incident it's more a case of a litany of reckless and sometimes deliberately dangerous moves on fellow drivers. He has an established record as someone who frankly can be a massive danger to drivers around him.

[GoodSister]

I don't want to let the fact that Gutierrez's car flipped over cloud my judgement, but Maldonado has been responsible for many incidents in his 3-year career in F1 that something has to be done sooner rather than later. It's a shame because sometimes he can do some pretty good things (like his race win 2 years ago and he could have won a point or two today considering where Lotus have been so far this season) and then he goes and spoils it. If he is banned for a race at some point, I wouldn't be surprised or upset.

Edited by GoodSister, 06 April 2014 - 17:49.

[DanardiF1]

Maldonado should have been sat out of races after using his car as weapon on two occasions already. I don't see this mistake as a offence for which he should be banned, but I wouldn't be sympathetic should he get what he is due.

 

What's mad about one of those particular incidents is that it was at Monaco, a place where he was initially banned from competing for his near-manslaughter of a marshall, but some money was flashed and he was allowed back.

[midgrid]

Was anyone else reminded of this?

 

[Junky]

Ricciardo does nothing and gets 10 grid places penalty. Maldonado has brainless shunt and only gets 5. F*** logic.

[Andrew Hope]

That may well be the case, but then if it's not just for this incident it's more a case of a litany of reckless and sometimes deliberately dangerous moves on fellow drivers. He has an established record as someone who frankly can be a massive danger to drivers around him.

 

That's fine too. A cumulative ban for all past incidents is not unfair. It's the fact this wasn't the comments after the incidents, but rather that this incident alone is banworthy just because it's Maldonado that I had a bit of a problem with

[maverick69]

And this kids, is why you shouldn't give a nutter a fist-full of cash........ so he can be let loose in a pukka F1 car......

[g1n]

Racing accidents don't become bannable offenses when it's a guy you don't like who did something stupid. It was clearly accidental and it looked a lot worse than it was. If Maldonado deserves a race ban for that there's a dozen other incidents just as bad we've seen in the past few seasons that just looked better because the car didn't roll.

Load of nonsense. It was a typical and cynical Maldonado move, just like in his first year, where he would torpedo himself up the inside and then counting on physics to bounce off the other car back on to the racing line and ahead without a care in the world.

[DanardiF1]

That's fine too. A cumulative ban for all past incidents is not unfair. It's the fact this wasn't the comments after the incidents, but rather that this incident alone is banworthy just because it's Maldonado that I had a bit of a problem with

 

I do think that the move he made today was worthy of a ban, not because of how spectacularly Gutierrez flipped, because it was a move bereft of any thought or consideration for the driver ahead. If he had a car problem, why did he go to the inside, if he didn't, why is he making a move from that far back at that speed.

 

But I do think that should Maldonado ever have to come in front of the FIA, previous transgressions should be taken into account. I maintain that he is a consistent danger to his fellow drivers, something I have not thought about a driver since Mr Ide, who rather than being overtly dangerous was just out of his depth.

[dreamer]

3 points and 5 places down for the next race

[Apex]

I've been saying this since his first season in F1... On a related note. These noses are outright dangerous. 

 

 

One positive thing about Pastor's move: It proves these new noses are useless. They were brought in for safety aspects to make side impacts safer, but Gutierrez still flipped over.

 

The car flipped over because the rear wheel climbed over Maldonado's front wheel. The nose had nothing to do with it.

[spacekid]

That's fine too. A cumulative ban for all past incidents is not unfair. It's the fact this wasn't the comments after the incidents, but rather that this incident alone is banworthy just because it's Maldonado that I had a bit of a problem with

But it's cumulative because it's Maldonado.

[jjcale]

Over reaction ... he is a twit ... but it looked worse than it actually was.