Pastor Maldonado says Williams must improve consistency in 2013

The Grove team bounced back from its worst campaign in 2011, where it scored just five points, with a promising start to the year which included victory in the Spanish Grand Prix in May.

After the win however Maldonado failed to score any points for nine consecutive races. The Venezuelan finished the year on 45 points and in 15th position.

He is convinced Williams has the potential to do much better next season.

"We have a lot of potential as a team and next year we must continue this upward trend and produce a car that can challenge for strong points finishes and podiums at a wide range of circuits," Maldonado said shortly after being confirmed at Williams for 2013.

"The goal is to be more competitive next year and have a car that is consistently in the points and challenging for podiums.

"This year we showed excellent pace at a number of tracks such as Barcelona, Monaco and Abu Dhabi, but we didn't have the consistency to maintain that at every grand prix.

"We have all the tools needed to push the top teams, and hopefully we can learn from this year and move further up the field."

Maldonado is sure Williams has all the ingredients to return to the top again. The team finished in eighth place in the 2012 constructors' standings.

"I firmly believe that we have all the tools we need to become a top team again and fight for podiums more consistently that we have this year," he said.

"It's not easy as the standard is so high right now, but the gap between the teams is very small which means that a few tenths per lap can make all the difference.

"My ambition is to win the world championship and I'd love to be able to do that with Williams and be alongside some of the greats who have won titles here.

"I feel ready to fight for wins and after tasting success this year I want to experience that again as soon as possible."