By alley - Sep 22, 2015, 8:01 AM ET

F1: Maldonado rejects Button's criticism

Lotus Formula 1 driver Pastor Maldonado has defended his driving in response to McLaren rival Jenson Button's criticism after the pair collided in the Singapore Grand Prix.

Button broke his front wing when he ran into the back of Maldonado on the exit of Turn 17. The stewards investigated the incident and took no further action.

Button, who retired with a gearbox problem,

called Maldonado's driving "very strange,"

saying the Venezuelan drove him off the track at the previous corner and "won't ever change." But Maldonado, who suffered a broken diffuser as a result of the contact and ultimately finished 12th, was unperturbed by the comments.

"No driver's happy if there's a car in front of them and they want to get past, especially if it damages their car trying to overtake," he said. "We both got damage to our cars; he was behind me trying to get past, I was defending my position. That's racing.

"The stewards reviewed it and determined that there was no further action necessary."

Lotus announced after the race on Sunday that Maldonado would definitely stay on board for 2016. Renault is currently in talks to complete a buyout of the team, and there had been speculation over how this might affect Maldonado's ongoing Lotus contract.

Originally on Autosport.com