Pastor Maldonado has downplayed the criticism from Jenson Button following their clash during the Singapore Grand Prix that left the Venezuelan with a damaged diffuser and the Briton with a broken front wing.
The Lotus F1 Team driver said it is normal for drivers to want to overtake their rivals, but said the incident on Sunday was just a racing accident, and that drivers will naturally be unhappy if a move does not come off, especially if it damages their car, in this case Button’s McLaren-Honda.
“No driver’s happy if there’s a car in front of them and they want to get past, especially if it damages their car trying to overtake,” said Maldonado. “We both got damage to our cars; he was behind me trying to get past, I was defending my position.
“That’s racing, the stewards reviewed it and determined that there was no further action necessary. Unfortunately, after the contact from Jenson my rear diffuser was damaged and the downforce helps work the tyres better.”