Pastor Maldonado is only the fourth Venezuelan to drive a Grand Prix car, following the likes of Ernesto Viso, Ettore Chimeri and Johnny Cecotto.

Maldonado is the latest in a long line of GP2 champions to secure the step up to Formula 1 immediately after winning the title, following in the footsteps of Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Timo Glock and Nico Hulkenberg.

Until his 2010 GP2 championship success, Maldonado’s rise up the motorsport ladder can best be described as solid, rather than spectacular, but he’s got plenty of Formula 1 circuit knowledge, thanks to four years in the GP2 category – and that will pay dividends in an era in which testing and race weekend track time is severely limited.

His rookie campaign in 2011 saw him drive an uncompetitive Williams car, thus finishing with just a single point with a 10th place finish in Belgium. His 2012 start hasn’t been much promising either, being classified 13th and 19th for the first two Grands Prix of the year.