Pastor Maldonado loves racing at Monaco. He’s had many successes at the track in the junior formulas and he’s hoping for another strong showing this weekend with AT&T Williams.

Q: Pastor, how do you feel on the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix?
PM: I feel quite confident because I know the track well and I like it a lot. This race is a great opportunity for the team to score some points; in fact, it’s our best opportunity to score points of the year so far. I will do my best to get a very good result.

Q: How competitive do you expect the FW33 to be?
PM: That’s very difficult to predict, but it could be good. Aerodynamic efficiency isn’t so important here, so the gap between us and the cars at the front should be less.

Q: You’ve been very successful at this track in the past. What is it about this track?
PM: That’s true, I’ve always been good here. It’s difficult to pinpoint why I go well here; perhaps it has something to do with the drivers making more of a difference here. There aren’t a lot of fast corners, so the aerodynamics of the car don’t work like they do at somewhere like Barcelona. The grip level is not so high, so the drivers can make a bigger difference.

Q: Did you do a lot of street racing back home in Venezuela?
PM: Not at all. My first time on a street circuit was here in Monaco. I enjoy driving when you don’t have a lot of grip because the driver makes a difference. That’s why I like driving in the wet.

Q: Are you worried about the last minute re-surfacing that has been done at Ste Devote?
PM: I don’t think the new asphalt is exactly on the racing line, so it should be okay. We’ll only find out tomorrow what the grip is going to be like and I’m expecting the track to be slippery everywhere. The grip is going to change a lot over the weekend because there are a lot of support races here.

Q: Are you expecting a lot of tyre wear in the race?
PM: It’s going to be very difficult. We could end up with no tyres left after 10 laps and that will be tough. But even if you’re struggling for grip, you should be able to maintain your position because it’s very difficult to pass. Strategy will be crucial.

Q: So you’re not expecting the DRS to have much effect?
PM: I don’t think the DRS zone on the pit straight is long enough for us to get a proper run on someone, but we’ll see. It’s good that the FIA have said no to the DRS in the tunnel. It was flat in the simulator, but I don’t think it would have been in reality. It would have been very risky.