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Maldonado hopes to fix problems

After a season-opening Formula One weekend to forget in Australia, Pastor Maldonado must be wondering when he might win his second race.

The Venezuelan driver was billed as a rising star after winning in Spain last year to give Williams its first victory since 2004. But everything went wrong after that, from mechanical problems to a collision at the European Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton that cost Maldonado a podium spot.

The team finished a lowly eighth in the constructors’ championship, but Williams’ 2013 car is supposed to be more consistent.

But as he prepares for the Malaysian GP this weekend, Maldonado concedes he had a hard time keeping the car on the track in Melbourne, where he spun out after only 24 laps.

‘It was hard to drive the car, manage the tires and stay on the track,’ he said. ‘I was fighting all weekend. There was no grip in the car. I was more outside the track than inside because the car was so difficult to drive.’

The 27-year-old Maldonado said the team believes it has sorted out the problems but will only know when testing begins at Sepang on Friday.

‘I had all the problems you can have in the car,’ he said. ‘What happened was the worst that can happen. Now for sure with the analysis we have done, it’s clear where the problems are, and theoretically we have the solution.’

‘To win is always difficult,’ he said. ‘To win, you must be quick and have some luck with you.’
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