The first Venezuelan F1 racer was Ettore Chimeri.[2] He raced in one Grand Prix, the 1960 Argentine Grand Prix in a Maserati 250F, but retired due to fatigue.[3] It was supposed to be the first of many entries for Chimeri, who was killed in practice for the Gran Premio Libertad sports car race in Havana, Cuba two weeks later.[4][5]
27 years later, Pastor Maldonado made his Formula One debut for Williams at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.[9] He spent his first 3 seasons in Formula One with the team, and quickly became known for his overly aggressive style of racing.[10][11] He raced for Lotus in 2014 and 2015, struggling with a mid-field car. Maldonado's career was heavily reliant on PDVSA backing, and when the Venezuelan economy went bust in early 2016, Renault (who had bought back Lotus in the off-season) opted out of keeping him on for the upcoming season and he was replaced by Kevin Magnussen.[12][13] The highlight of his career was an unlikely pole position[14] and win at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the first (and so far only) Venezuelan to take victory in a Grand Prix.[15]
.jpg)
