Live from Hockenheim with Esteban Gutierrez

Esteban, you qualified 9th yesterday during the qualifications, but with your 10-place penalty due to your collision at Silverstone, you will start from 19th position in today’s longer race. It will be tough to achieve the hat trick after the wins in Valencia and Silverstone.

Yes, it’s certain that it will be a complicated race. We know that we have a good package, a good car. Yesterday we could have been P1 because we had the best sectors. But I was limited in my attempts by yellow flags that didn’t come at the right time for me. So, I’m starting from the back of the grid. I hope we’ll have rain.

Are you going to do the rain dance until the race starts?

Yes, because with the rain, it’s easier to make mistakes. So if I manage not to make any, it will be easier to climb up the rankings. When it’s slippery, it’s easier to make a difference.

Let’s talk a bit about your start to the season. In GP2, you have won two races and are currently third in the drivers’ championship. What is the goal by the end of the season? The title?

To be honest, I don’t think about the championship. I prefer to take the races one at a time. I focus on basic things, on the work outside the cameras, here in the garage with the team. Once all this work is done, then you have to enjoy it and have fun on the track because that’s what’s most important in everything we do.

Precisely, speaking of work outside the cameras, you are the third driver at Sauber while also being a full-time driver in GP2 with Lotus ART. How do you manage to mix the two schedules, which must both be very busy?

In this area, I am very lucky because Sauber understands very well that my attention is primarily on GP2. This is something they respect greatly. They give me a lot of freedom when I have a GP2 race. They let me focus here (in the GP2 paddock) without having to do things there (in the F1 paddock). I can stay here, with the Lotus guys, eat with them, work long hours with them. These are things that are very important to me. This is how I work best.

So you don’t have to attend many activities outside the circuit, like events organized for sponsors?

When there is a GP2 race at the same time as an F1 race, I focus exclusively on the GP2. Sauber understands very well that I need this to perform my best in the race. They are very tolerant. That’s why when both are happening, I only attend the last Sauber meeting after the race to debrief on what worked and the areas where we can still improve. However, when there are no GP2 races, I attend the various events planned by Sauber.

Like Sergio Pérez, you have the support of Carlos Slim’s Telmex company. Sergio joined the Ferrari Driver Academy. Are there discussions for you to follow the same path in the coming years?

I have always been fortunate to have a very close relationship with Telmex. Things are a bit different from what Checo (Pérez) might have done because we operate much like a family. I have received support from Telmex and Carlos for many years, who is a wonderful person. So, we have always wanted to do things properly, to move forward in my career in the best possible way. My family has always supported my choices. So for now, joining the Ferrari Driver Academy is not something we are considering. For the moment, the important thing is GP2. We will continue to focus on that until the end of the season. At that point, we’ll see what opportunities present themselves.

Being a GP2 driver prevents you from driving for F1 during Friday practice sessions when both categories take place on the same weekend. Your teammate from last year, Jules Bianchi, decided to move to Formula Renault 3.5 in order to get track time with Sahara Force India. Did you ever consider doing the same or have you always preferred to stay with Lotus ART in GP2?

It has always been clear that I wanted to stay in GP2 with Lotus. It’s the most competitive category, right behind F1. So I never thought about going elsewhere and therefore continued my progression with Lotus for a second season.

There are discussions for a return of Mexico to the F1 calendar in the coming years. Carlos Slim Jr., whom you are close to, is heavily involved in the project. Do you have any more information on the topic?

Yes, there are indeed discussions for such a return. When you have Mexican drivers in F1, it’s normal to want to have a Grand Prix in Mexico, where popular support is very important. As for more developed details on the project, I don’t have much more than you! But in any case, I hope to be able to race in front of my fans one day.

Precisely, at the end of the season, Austin will benefit from its race. This Texan city is close to the Mexican border. Therefore, many compatriots might come to watch the race to see you and Sergio Pérez. Are there any discussions for you to take the wheel of the Sauber during the free practice sessions?

My priority for the moment is the end of the GP2 season, starting with this weekend in Hockenheim. So for now, we’re not talking much about what might happen in the upcoming races.

From our correspondent in Hockenheim

With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr