United States GP: Sutil Surprises Everyone at Sauber
For the first time this season, there was a Sauber in Q3 during qualifying thanks to Adrian Sutil. However, the German driver couldn't do better than the 10th fastest time. Esteban Gutierrez is further back, eliminated in Q1.
The surprise of the afternoon in Austin came from the presence of a Sauber in Q3 for the first time in the 2014 season. Adrian Sutil managed to take advantage of the circumstances to place his C33 in the last part of the qualifying session.
« It was a great qualifying session. This morning, we had good practice sessions, and I felt comfortable with the car. The air and track temperatures rose compared to this morning, but the car’s balance was still good. We delivered a strong performance today, and we deserve to reach Q3 for the first time this year, » explained the German after the United States GP qualifying.
Qualified in 10th position, Sutil will start from 9th place on the grid tomorrow in Austin, gaining a place due to the 5-place penalty given to Jenson Button for an unscheduled gearbox change.
In the other box of the Swiss team, things did not unfold in the same way. Indeed, Esteban Gutierrez was not able to get past Q1, only recording the 16th fastest time: « It was a difficult qualifying session for me. We tried to find the best compromise with the car’s settings. However, we were not able to get the most out of the soft tires. »
The young Mexican will start from the 15th place on the grid – following Daniil Kvyat’s penalty for an engine change – and he hopes to move up during the race this Sunday, even though he knows it will be complicated as many factors come into play: « We will focus on tomorrow’s race, and it will be important for everything to work well to achieve the best possible position. »
