While Venezuelans were dying for lack of simple, inexpensive pills, their radical socialist government was spending tens of millions a year to keep a native son, Pastor Maldonado, competing in the Formula 1 global auto-racing circuit.
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Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, spent some $45 million each year to keep Maldonado racing under its logo. Why an oil company without a retail arm and with monopoly rights to Venezuelan oil needs to advertise in the first place was never clear.
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Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, spent some $45 million each year to keep Maldonado racing under its logo. Why an oil company without a retail arm and with monopoly rights to Venezuelan oil needs to advertise in the first place was never clear.

Venezuela Is Falling Apart – The Atlantic
Scenes from daily life in the failing state
Well… Chavez won multiple elections, and maybe the race car helped. Too bad he didn't live long enough to turn into a real dictator of a failed state; things were just starting to go bad while he was dealing with cancer.