Pastor Maldonado has admitted his decision to leave Williams at the end of 2013 and join Lotus did not help his F1 career.

Maldonado left Williams under a cloud after accusing the team of tampering with his tyre pressures at the 2013 US Grand Prix following a disappointing season with the team. In 2013 Lotus had been challenging for podiums, but the change in regulations for 2014 caught the team off guard while Williams went from strength to strength with the help of a Mercedes engine deal. Maldonado now admits that the decision to leave Williams has had a big impact on his career.

"Frustrating is not the right word, it's just difficult," he said. "Maybe the decision was not the best one but at the same time as a sportsman you always have a lot of hunger and you always have a lot of expectation in your life. At some point you have to take decisions and wherever it goes you must take it with responsibility and with all the passion you have. That's what I did.

"It was not a great [decision], but I'm working very hard together with the team. Lotus a fantastic team, maybe not with all the facilities all the other teams have - especially from the economic side - but on the other hand I have been learning a lot to work more together as a team with a very different philosophy. I am 100% sure that will help me in my future. We are not reaching the results we expected, but on the other hand I have been leaning a lot, big experience, which is great."

Lotus is due to be bought by Renault ahead of next year, but despite having a contract, Maldonado admits his future is not 100% secure. But asked if he would consider a move to racing in the USA, the Venezuelan was adamant that his future lies in Formula One.

"No not America for sure," he said. "I stay here in Formula One. At the moment the main focus is to continue with my contract and hopefully have better facilities to get out on track and be more competitive.

"Maybe you can have success in America but at the moment I really enjoy being in Formula One. I think there is a lot to do from my side still here and I deserve the chance to show my real potential."