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Spanish GP: Maldonado scores famous win for Williams

Pastor Maldonado’s maiden Grand Prix win gave the Williams team their first chequered flag since 2004.

WILLIAMS DRIVER PASTOR MALDONADO has become the first Venezuelan to win a Formula One Grand Prix with victory at the Spanish GP.

Maldonado, who started in pole position, recovered from losing first place at the start of Sunday’s race to hold off Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and win at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

The 27-year-old was blitzed off the line by Alonso and the Spaniard got to the first corner before Maldonado to take an early three-second lead.

But Maldonado was not willing to give up the best chance of victory in his 23 career races in F1 and eventually took the lead back from Alonso during the Ferrari driver’s second pit-stop.

Maldonado held on from there as both Alonso and a fast-finishing Kimi Raikkonen put pressure on him.

The Venezuelan’s triumph snapped Williams’ victory drought that stretched back to 2004 and became the fifth different driver in as many races to win an F1 GP this season.

Alonso claimed second, 3.1 seconds behind Maldonado, with Raikkonen in his Lotus right behind the Ferrari driver in third.

It was a good day in Barcelona for Lotus with Raikkonen’s team-mate Romain Grosjean finishing fourth. Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi rounded out the top five.

Alonso’s second place puts the Spaniard equal on top of the 2012 drivers’ standings with reigning champion Sebastian Vettel after the German finished sixth on Sunday.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who was stripped of pole on Saturday after finishing qualifying with not enough fuel, fought his way back to eighth place, behind the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg. That result means Hamilton is third overall so far this season.

Team-mate Jenson Button came in ninth ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Red Bull’s Mark Webber, whose race was all but over on the first lap after he was forced back to the pits for a new front wing.

Michael Schumacher crashed into the back of Bruno Senna to send both men out of the race, while Sergio Perez also retired due to a puncture.

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