Maldonado denies talks to replace Raikkonen at Lotus

As Kimi Raikkonen moves closer to filling Mark Webber’s spot at Red Bull next year, Pastor Maldonado has denied talking to Lotus to replace the Finn.

It has been suggested Venezuelan Maldonado, with his 2012 Barcelona-winning speed and his millions in PDVSA backing, might be a good choice as Lotus faces the possibility of replacing Raikkonen.

But "Regarding the rumours," the 28-year-old told Spanish newspaper Marca at Silverstone, "I am 100 per cent focused on Williams.

"To this day I have not spoken to any team, this is true and I hope to be here next season. I say that because it depends not only on me but on other factors.

"Let’s see what the future brings," Maldonado added.

"I see the rumours every day but it’s hard to imagine something happening. Clearly I’m not happy with the performance this season, I will not hide that and we need to solve our problems.

"But I believe that we have a great potential in the team and we cannot stay where we are.

"We have all the tools to fight for the championship, so we’re not going to give up," he added.