Pastor Maldonado has suggested that he was unable to put in a good lap during qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix because of heavy traffic hampering his efforts.

The Venezuelan, who has been linked with a move away from the team for next year, will start from 14th on the grid but feels the car is good enough to help him move through the field.

He told reporters: "I had a strong Q1 but in Q2 I struggled with traffic and wasn't able to put a clean lap together, with the cars that crossed the line after me benefitted from the increased rubber on track.

"We have made some updates for this weekend and the car is feeling more consistent which will help us tomorrow in the race, and overall I feel that we have made a positive step forward."

Last week, Williams' chief race engineer
Xevi Pujolar suggested that Maldonado's early exit in qualifying at the Indian Grand Prix was also due to being stuck in traffic.