Then yesterday Maldonado again tangled with Perez, the latter retiring on lap
12 and prompting a tirade from the 22-year-old.
The stewards fined Maldonado 10,000 euros (£7,933) and issued a reprimand,
however, the 27-year-old sees no reason to change his ways heading into the
German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on July 22.
Asked if he would alter his approach, Maldonado said: “No, because I
think I have been unlucky.
“I accept the penalty for the incident with Lewis, but I was a bit
unlucky because I hit a kerb and had no traction at the front. It was also
1.5 laps from the end.
“Yesterday was different. The race was just starting, I was on cold
tyres, had no angle to turn and I lost the car. It is clear.
“I was even gentle with Kimi (Raikkonen), giving him position. I drove
carefully because the race is long and degradation is high.
“In previous races at the start of the year I was very clean, I had no
problem. I was even fighting more because I was in the middle of the grid.”
Since his shock victory in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona in early May,
Maldonado has since failed to score a single point.
Yet he is adamant the team are behind him, adding: “I have the team’s
support.
“I am just passing through a bad and unlucky moment when I don’t get any
points following my victory.
“It is frustrating. We have lost a lot of points, but we have everything
in place to get some points from the next race and in the second part of the
season.
“We can recover. It is not the end of the season. I have a lot of
confidence in the team and they have confidence in me and we need to keep on
pushing.”