Maldonado handed ban after crash

Renault World Series driver Pastor Maldonado has been banned for four races after an incident during last Saturday's race in Monaco.

The Venezuelan did not slow down when approaching the scene of an accident and ran into a marshal.

Matteo Meneghello was banned for four meetings, including two suspended, for his role in the incident.

"I feel very bad. Gilles, the marshal I hit, could have been even more injured through my mistake," said Maldonado.

"Yes, I'm going through very difficult times, but a penalty under such circumstances is justified," he said.

"The yellow flags were out, but I only saw them very late and could not avoid one of the marshals.

"I hope very much that he will recover quickly and will be able to marshal again. The job the marshals do is fantastic - they put themselves at risk to keep us safe.

"I will be training hard to stay in shape and will be back in competition at Donington having learned the lesson of what happened in Monaco. Being a responsible driver is part of what I am learning."

Maldonado is part of Renault's driver development programme and tested for Formula One team Minardi last year.