Maldonado yet to finalize F1 future

Pastor Maldonado says he is yet to reach a final decision over which team he will be driving for next season, and insists that his Formula 1 future is in his own hands.

Having spent the past three seasons at Williams, the Venezuelan looks poised to leave the Grove-based outfit at the end of the current campaign, with Lotus, Force India and Sauber the three teams being mooted as potential employers in 2014.

And while Lotus has consistently stated that Nico Hülkenberg is its preferred driver if an investment deal with Quantum Motorsports, formerly Infinity Racing, comes off in the near future, Maldonado has argued that the ultimate choice "will be down to me".

"At the moment, I have not made the decision yet," said Maldonado in the Yas Marina paddock. "The decision will be down to me, so I prefer to take some more time. I hope to have the decision before the end of the season and there are still a couple of weeks to go, so we will see. I cannot guarantee I will leave [Williams] or will stay."

The Venezuelan added: "It's my third season [in Formula 1], so it's a very important moment professionally for me and I want to make the best decision for my future."

Maldonado was also keen to brush aside rumors of a relationship breakdown with Williams over the past few weeks, describing as "not true" reports in the media.

"There is a lot of speculation saying that my relationship with the team is completely broken but that's not true," he said. "I'm doing my best and every race we are working. We are trying to do our best and we will try to do our best until the end of the season."