Venezuelan reckons his contract "should be okay" regardless of whether Renault buys the team
Wednesday 9 September 2015 13:15, UK
Pastor Maldonado says he has a contract with Lotus for 2016 and expects to drive for them next season even if Renault buy the team.
The Venezuelan's seat has been the subject of much speculation, which only intensified when Lotus blamed him for causing the car failure that led to his retirement from the Belgian GP.
The Enstone team's financial struggles are well documented and mean they rely heavily on the sponsorship money Maldonado brings. Becoming a works Renault team would end that dependence, but he doesn't think that would affect his chances of driving next year.
"At the moment nothing has happened yet, there is a lot of rumours going on," Maldonado said.
"I really wish the best for the team and we have a contract until the end of next season so it should be okay whether Renault comes or not."
When asked to clarify if that meant he had a contract to drive next year or if it meant Lotus had the option to retain him Maldonado added: "I have a contract. At the moment the information I have is that I will continue in Formula 1."
The blaming of Maldonado for his retirement in Belgium - Lotus chose to reveal that his car suffered a 17G impact when he hit kerbs exiting Eau Rouge - seemed to be a public showing of tension between driver and team, but he insists that is not the case.
"If they don't want me in the team fine. Life is like this, but the information I have is that it is completely the other way," Maldonado said.
"They still want to work with me and that is the information I have."
Asked how he felt about being blamed, he replied: "I don't care. It is a problem that happened to both of us, it is not a problem that happened to the team or me. We are a team.
"For sure I bounced over the bump, but looking at the pictures even [team-mate] Romain [Grosjean] crossed it following me and nothing happened to his car."
Reports have also suggested that a delay in payments from PDVSA to Lotus worsened the team's financial plight, but Maldonado dismissed them as rumours.
"This is totally false and I don't know where this news comes from," he stressed.
"It is very easy to investigate the payment of my sponsor in all the formulae and I think they have been one of the most correct sponsors in the history of Formula and the whole of motorsport.
"There have never been any problems with payment in the past and I don't see there being any problems now. But I don't know anything about the contractual things between the team and PDVSA."
