Maldonado eyes strong result in European GP despite problems with tyres

The Venezuelan admitted that he had spent much of the weekend struggling to find a balance on Pirelli's option tyres but that Williams had managed to switch on the Williams FW34 for qualifying.

Nevertheless he used all seven sets available to him in order to access the second row.

"The car has been quite quick since yesterday, [but] we were struggling a bit with the option tyres. We were a bit confused because I didn't feel the same feeling with the prime tyres," explained Maldonado.

"But then we have been working so hard, trying to understand what has been happening this morning, [and we were] still struggling, especially with the option tyres.

"For qualifying we understood them a little bit more and here we are. I think we did a pretty good job.

"Williams is getting better and better every time so I am pretty happy for the team and pretty happy for my country and it's going to be a great opportunity again to get on the podium and fight for a good result."

Maldonado added that the race, which is expected to be run in intense heat, would be all about strategy.

"I think for the long run, for us the prime tyres were a bit better," he said. "We had more range and we were even quicker after a couple of laps, so we have tyres enough to race and be very competitive, so I don't worry about that.

"Looking forward to tomorrow, what happens with the strategy is very important and will be essential for tomorrow. These conditions are very hot and difficult for everybody so I am looking forward to it. Let's see."