Pastor Maldonado looking to restart Formula 1 career

Pastor Maldonado has confirmed rumours that he is “looking for a way” back into Formula 1.

The Venezuelan, whose F1 foray with Williams and Lotus was heavily backed by the state oil company PDVSA, lost his seat at the end of last year.

A polarising figure and widely known as ‘Crashtor’ due to his regular on-track incidents, 31-year-old Maldonado has been doing some work with Pirelli recently but the Italian marque clarified that he is not a full-time test driver.

Maldonado, who lives in Monaco, was in the F1 paddock last weekend, triggering speculation that he was eyeing the Manor seat that might be vacated by Rio Haryanto after July.

Reportedly, Maldonado tried but failed to find an Indycar seat for 2016, and is now doing some media work with Fox Latin America.

“I am not ready to stop with Formula 1,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. “I am looking for a way back into the cockpit.”

Next up on the 2016 calendar is the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend.