Pastor Maldonado has confirmed that staying at Williams is his first choice for the 2013 Formula 1 season.
Despite his run of mishaps in recent races, Maldonado's stock is relatively high thanks to his accomplished victory in the Spanish Grand Prix, but he claims to have no plans to chase a drive with another team. He is almost certain to be retained if Williams continues its relationship with Venezuelan petroleum giant PDVSA, which is understood to stipulate that the team must run a driver from the South American country even though it is not tied exclusively to Maldonado himself.
"From my point of view, yes, because I have confidence in the team," said Maldonado when asked if remaining at Williams was his first choice for next year. "This team has a big future, is improving all of the time and I would like to win the championship here before I leave."
Maldonado does not expect his future to be confirmed until the end of the season as Williams plans to wait until the current campaign is finished before firming up 2013 plans. Williams did not announce that Maldonado would remain with the team after his 2011 rookie campaign until Dec. 1 last year.
Despite his confidence, the 27-year-old Venezuelan insists that he is not making any assumptions about his Williams future even though he is satisfied with his performance.
"We've not had any talks," said Maldonado. "They [Williams] will wait for the end of the season.
"You never know in Formula 1, but I think I am doing quite well. I like the people and have a great relationship with them but we will see. Anything could happen. There are still nine races to go [this year] but I am looking forward to next year as well. The team is working hard on next year too, so we will see."