There is still hope for the race - Kaltenborn
Qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix didn’t go according to plan for the Sauber F1 Team. Esteban Gutiérrez‘ working day was over after only fifteen minutes of free practice three due to a crash requiring the team to make extensive repairs. Adrian Sutil made it into Q2 and ended up P16.
Esteban Gutiérrez, car #21, Sauber C33-Ferrari (Chassis 02/Ferrari), DNQ: “It was a disappointing day, after we also had some troubles on Friday. Concerning what happened today, we have to further analyse what caused the problem. I came into the corner with a little bit of oversteer, then later something happened and I lost the car completely. We have to find out whether this happened through what I did, or something I had identified earlier. We have to analyse further what caused the incident. I know that it’s going to be a lot of work to rebuild the car for tomorrow, and I would like to thank the team for the hard work ahead of them. Tomorrow is another day, and I will do my best.“
Adrian Sutil, car #99, Sauber C33-Ferrari (Chassis 04/Ferrari), 16th: “Once again, this was not an easy qualifying. However, we made it into Q2 this time, which is a small success, although the performance has not really improved. After qualifying we are basically where we were this morning. The car is difficult to drive. We need more downforce and have deficiencies in most areas. The driveability in qualifying was not optimal. It was very tricky to control the car with the throttle, because it is very nervous. So I ended up in P16 for tomorrow. We will do our best.“
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: “Obviously, it’s disappointing going into qualifying with just one car. With regard to Esteban’s accident, the engineers are still analysing the data. Esteban will be forced to start from the pit lane, which will make things difficult. On the other hand, it is an advantage that he will be allowed to change the set-up of the car and fully focus on the race. Also, Adrian hasn’t an easy task. However, looking at the long runs, there is still hope. So we expect that he has the chance to improve in the race.“
Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Following Esteban’s accident today, we checked the data from the chassis, i.e. mechanical data, tyre pressures and aerodynamic data, and so far we can’t find anything abnormal. The analysis of the powertrain data is not completed yet. It will take some more time before we have the final results. Esteban will have to start from the pit lane, so he has to hope for an eventful race. For Adrian, starting from P16 will also not be easy, but the long runs yesterday were quite encouraging. Adrian’s goal must be to stay with the pack in front of him and be ready if an opportunity comes up.”
