Why Maldonado deserves another chance in F1

It's November 2016 and Pastor Maldonado announces he is returning to Formula 1. Those faceless keyboard warriors waste no time voicing their disgust on social media.

But if before unleashing their fury they paused and gave it some thought, they may come round to my way of thinking that it's not such a bad idea.

Maldonado did not have a stellar career in Formula 1. He failed to finish nearly a third of all the races he started, scored points just 14 times in 95 attempts and racked up a damage bill that would have sent some teams out of business.

But Maldonado is an quick driver. He won races and titles in Formula Renault 2.0, was a race winner in Euro and Italian Formula 3000 and Formula Renault 3.5, won races and the title in GP2 and, lest we forget, is an F1 grand prix winner. Not many drivers can say they have won at so many levels, and over such a long period of time.

He suffered from the 'pay driver' label he was given when he made his debut with Williams. The team signed him to replace the highly-rated Nico Hulkenberg because of the hefty backing he attracted from his native Venezuela. But Williams did its research and believed he had speed.

Sir Frank Williams was particularly impressed by his performances in Monaco, where Maldonado won in both GP2 and FR3.5. Throughout his time at Williams, he showed glimpses of pace. In 2012, his qualifying performances were particularly impressive - it was just his race performances, specifically the mistakes he made, that let him down.

Some may say his Spanish Grand Prix win was a fluke, courtesy of the fact Williams nailed the tyre situation that weekend, but that's grossly unfair. Maldonado won in a straight fight with Fernando Alonso, considered to be one of F1's true greats. He proved there - and on a number of other occasions - that he is capable of absorbing pressure from a chasing driver, often one in a faster car. Despite never having previously led an F1 race, he did not make a single mistake.

His fifth in Abu Dhabi later that season was considered an even better all-round performance by Williams because he lost KERS during the race. The problem was, he did not deliver often enough. After that win in Spain, he failed to score in any of the next nine races.

In Valencia, he was battling Lewis Hamilton, who had fallen over the tyre degradation 'cliff', for third. The two collided and the Venezuelan was handed a penalty after the race. More squandered points. It was also the third time he and Hamilton had clashed. Forty-five points and 15th in the drivers' standings was a poor return in what was considered the fifth best car on the grid.

But in the five seasons he had in F1, only once did he have a strong car. In 2012, he didn't take advantage of it fully, but it was his second season and he was partnered with a similarly inexperienced driver in Bruno Senna - who he outperformed.

Maldonado's time at Lotus was not so successful, but towards the end of last season, there were signs he was becoming more consistent with four points finishes out of the last six races. Trackside chief Alan Permane described him as a "phenomenally" quick driver.

Permane spoke of his confidence in Maldonado's ability to take on the lead driver role for this year, and how he was making progress in terms of consistency. He highlighted his abilities as an excellent test driver and the quality of his feedback. And though Maldonado was unable to be strong every weekend, he was starting to calm his "wild side" down. While a team inevitably will talk up its driver, particularly one bringing money, Permane meant what he said.

Maldonado's greatest weakness was that he crashed. A lot. He even had a website in his honour that tracked how long it had been since his last blunder. What hurt him most was he would often make the same mistake more than once, particularly when in wheel-to-wheel battle. He did not always admit when he was wrong, which did not help either.

Some have put this down to his cultural background. Alex Wurz, when Williams driver coach, referenced this after Maldonado's Spanish GP win: "What was special today was that his race was driven totally rationally, while historically people from South America, and Pastor earlier in his career, tended to drive out of pure emotion."

While Wurz suggested that approach was behind Maldonado, you can argue that in pressure points the red mist does sometimes engulf him. The evidence suggests he will never be the most consistent driver on the grid.

But does he need to be? It all comes down to what a team is after. He will have good days and bad days but overall, I believe the good will outweigh the bad.

Maldonado is under no illusions that a return requires backing. The situation in Venezuela remains unstable, but the price of oil has started to creep back up. There has been sponsor interest separate to that of PDVSA and Maldonado has already started talks with teams for 2017.

Sauber or Manor would be good fits. Maldonado will get an opportunity to prove he has the speed and the ability to help a struggling team move forward. The team would benefit from the financial backing he would bring.

He is generally still well-thought of at Williams but a return is unlikely as it is no longer in a position where it requires a driver with funds, while there is still some ill-feeling from comments at Austin in 2013 when he accused the team of sabotaging his qualifying session.

Maldonado says he left Enstone on good terms after his Lotus stint but a return is also unlikely since Renault took over. Force India represents the best-case scenario, but it will have a queue of drivers with money and can take its pick, should it want to replace Sergio Perez or Hulkenberg.

There is a question mark over whether a driver at 31, who was only just starting to show limited signs of consistency after five years in F1, could continue that upward curve. But I think there were enough signs in those last few races of 2015 to suggest that he will be able to do so.

You could say it shouldn't have taken so long for him to start showing that consistency, but it's when a driver stops improving that he has realised his potential. The starting point is irrelevant. And the evidence suggests there is more to come.

There is no doubt Maldonado would be a wildcard signing. The top teams can take their pick so signing Maldonado makes no sense at all. But if you're lower down the field, the risk versus the reward justifies it, particularly if he can replicate the consistency of late 2015.

Say you're Manor or Sauber. Your position on the grid means you are limited in driver choices. Your resources also limit your spending power. Maldonado has made himself available. You know he is capable of some very bad days but some extraordinary good days.

There's a chance that he could fight his way up into a podium position - a huge result for a lower end team - and then bin it because he was pushing for second. Remember when he was running sixth on the last lap in Australia 2012 and crashed chasing Alonso? But the fact he is getting up there, even if it's only on occasion, is what is important.

And eventually, given the right team, which manages him correctly, he could deliver a result of the quality of Spain 2012 more often. That's a pretty strong package based on what is attainable, especially if the alternative may be a driver who is just a safe pair of hands.

So it comes back to whether a lower-end team can take on a driver with clear limitations, but who has a skill set that is able to generate a tangible return. Maldonado, on his day, can be absolutely stunning. His raw speed is undisputed. He has the desire to come back and fight for his pride. He could cost a lot in spare parts but he'll bring backing to pay towards that.

If I were a team boss of one of the midfield or backmacker teams, I would sign him. You never know what you're going to get but it would be worth a punt. It may not always be pretty, but the potential is there. And it'll be one hell of a ride.