Former Williams and Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado is reported to have rejected a race seat for the 2017 season, choosing to turn down the opportunity due to the unknown team not being competitive.
Speaking to Autosport, Maldonado said: “I have the experience and I had opportunities to come back here this year”,
“I was quite close to coming back but I decided not to. But if I don’t have any good feeling, if I don’t have any guarantees to do in the good way, it’s better to stay away – so I turned them down.”
The Venezuelan was due to be racing for Renault in 2016, but due to a major dispute over payments from his personal sponsor PDVSA with no amicable resolution, the contract was ripped up.
With the Venezuelan economy in a very uncertain state, the large amount of sponsorship money rumoured to accompany Maldonado is under scrutiny, however, he does not believe the situation would stand in his way of securing a drive should one appear.
“It’s quite tough, there is up and downs in the economy and hopefully soon we can get out of this situation and the country will be strong again,” he added.
“I don’t think it’s important – a return is still possible, it’s not the only sponsor. I’m not here because I don’t want to be right now.”
Despite not actively looking for a drive in F1, the 32-year-old is not ruling anything out, believing he can make anything happen.
“I discovered there is something more interesting than F1 in life. It’s not everything. But I’m missing it because I dedicated my entire life to motor racing, I started when I was six.
“When I wake up and decide ‘OK, it’s time to go back’, I will.”
