Maldonado as talented as Hulkenberg

The decision by the AT&T Williams team to sign GP2 champion Pastor Maldonado has caused a degree of comment in regard to how the team signed Pastor simply for the money that he could bring to the team.

But Adam Parr has made it clear that Pastor did not get his seat in the team simply due to the sponsorship that he could bring to the team. Parr said that talent also played a major role with Parr holding the view that Pastor is as good a driver as previous drivers with the team in particular Nico Hülkenberg and Nico Rosberg.

Maldonado will join Rubens Barrichello in the Williams team for 2011 with Parr making it clear that Pastor was signed to the team as a result of his potential and his driving ability. Parr insisted that even some of Formula One's best drivers bring backing to their team, using Alonso as an example.

In an interview with F1 Magazine Parr said: “The guy has just won the GP2 championship with a rookie team, taking more victories than anyone else. He has great talent. The mere fact that we have to talk about this is absurd. It’s a shame, really.

“Never have we allowed a driver to sit in our car who we did not think was ready for F1, deserved to be in F1 and was capable of delivering. We work with an independent driver coach and he believes that, in terms of pure speed and talent, Pastor has as much capacity as the two Nico's.” Parr also added that Pastor is a long-term investment for the Williams team.

As for the driver that Pastor replaced, Nico Hulkenberg, in the same article Parr was hopeful that Nico will manage to secure another drive for 2011. Parr also said that a possible return to the Williams team in the future was not something that he would rule out.

“I would like to see him at Williams again,” Parr added. “He has the dedication and the passion to be a great driver, and I was so impressed with his maturity and professionalism. I hope he finds a position somewhere else, but on the other hand I would like to maintain a relationship with him.”