PDVSA president wants Maldonado at Lotus - MotorSportsTalk

President of Venezuelan oil giant PDVSA Rafael Ramirez has said that he is working to ensure that Pastor Maldonado races for Lotus in 2014.

PDVSA has been instrumental in keeping Maldonado in Formula One, sponsoring him throughout his three-year stay at Williams. However, with the team opting to hire Felipe Massa as a teammate for Valtteri Bottas next season, and with Maldonado seemingly happy to leave, work must now be done to ensure that he stays in F1. As Ramirez explained to El Nacional, Lotus is the desired destination for Maldonado with PDVSA following him.

“There is a change in team and what we are working on is going to Lotus,” Ramirez said. “For us, the interest is Pastor Maldonado, not Williams.”

Maldonado is thought to be going head-to-head with Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg for the seat, but the German driver’s arrival appears to be dependent on a possible deal with Quantum Motorsports which is becoming less and less likely. With Lotus encountering financial problems across the course of the season, Maldonado’s backing from PDVSA is highly attractive even if the Venezuelan driver is far less talented and able than Hulkenberg, who is inexplicably still looking for a seat.

This comment from Ramirez also suggests that the on-going investigation into Venezuela’s investment in motorsport will have no effect on Maldonado, but with relations between the driver and the company appearing to sour with Williams, the Enstone-based team will have to assess the baggage that could come with signing him.

With three multiple winners now vying for the championship, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series heads to Round 11 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.

Chase Sexton earned his second victory of the season in Detroit when Aaron Plessinger fell on the final lap. Though he was penalized seven points for disobeying a flag, Sexton is third in the championship race. The Honda rider trails leader Cooper Webb (two victories) by 17 points, and defending series champion Eli Tomac (five wins) is three points behind Webb in second with seven races remaining.

Tomac won last year in Seattle on the way to his second season title.

Honda riders have a Supercross-leading 20 victories in the Seattle event but none at Lumen Field since Justin Barcia in 2013. Tomac and Barcia are the only past 450 Seattke winners entered in Saturday’s event.

Here are the pertinent details for watching Round 11 of the 2023 Supercross season in Seattle:

(All times are ET)

BROADCAST/STREAMING SCHEDULE: TV coverage of Round 11 will begin Saturday at 10 p.m. ET streaming on Peacock with a re-air Monday at 1 a.m. ET on CNBC. The Race Day Live show (including qualifying) will begin on Peacock at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

NBC Sports will have exclusive live coverage of races, qualifiers and heats for the record 31 events in SuperMotocross. The main events will be presented on Peacock, NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms.

Peacock will become the home of the SuperMotocross World Championship series in 2023 with live coverage of all races, qualifying, and heats from January to October. There will be 23 races livestreamed exclusively on Peacock, including a SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff event. The platform also will provide on-demand replays of every race. Click here for the full schedule.

POINTS STANDINGS: 450 division l 250 division

ENTRY LISTS: 450 division l 250 division

EVENT SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Here are the start times for Saturday’s Supercross Round 11 in Seattle, according to the Monster Energy Supercross schedule from the AMA:

4:50 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 1
5:05 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:20 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:35 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 1
6:25 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 2
6:40 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 2
7:55 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
8:10 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 2
10:06 p.m.: 250SX Heat 1
10:20 p.m.: 250SX Heat 2
10:34 p.m.: 450SX Heat 1
10:48 p.m.: 450SX Heat 2
11:22 p.m.: 250SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:34 p.m.: 450SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:54 p.m.: 250SX Main Event
12:28 a.m.: 450SX Main Event