Formula One drivers from Venezuela

There have been 3 Formula One drivers from Venezuela.

Former drivers

Cecotto driving for Toleman at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix.

Maldonado driving for Williams at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

Maldonado driving for Lotus at the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix.

The first Venezuelan F1 racer was Ettore Chimeri. He raced in one Grand Prix, the 1960 Argentine Grand Prix in a Maserati 250F, retiring with electrical problems. It was supposed to be the first of many entries for Chimeri, who was killed in practice for the Gran Premio Libertad sports car race in Havana, Cuba two weeks later.

Accomplished motorcycle racer Johnny Cecotto made his debut in Formula One with Theodore Racing at the 1983 Brazilian Grand Prix. He scored his only points in the following race, however the luck didn't last as the team was forced to pull out of the sport before the penultimate race of the 1983 season due to a lack of funding. Cecotto landed a drive alongside debutant Ayrton Senna at Toleman for 1984, but was a classified finisher in only one of the ten races he participated in that season. His final appearance was the 1984 British Grand Prix.

27 years later, Pastor Maldonado made his Formula One debut for Williams at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix. He spent his first 3 seasons in Formula One with the team, and quickly became known for his overly aggressive style of racing. He raced for Lotus in 2014 and 2015, struggling with a mid-field car. The highlight of his career was a surprise win at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the first (and so far only) Venezuelan to take victory in a Grand Prix.

Pastor Maldonado

Timeline