Gutierrez out of the points, Grosjean retires: the Haas F1 Team ate its black bread in Catalonia
Esteban Gutierrez came close to scoring his first points of the 2016 season. But the Haas team was not at its best this weekend, as Romain Grosjean was forced to stop 10 laps before the chequered flag, due to a brake problem.
To each their due respect, let’s begin by acknowledging Esteban Gutiérrez’s best performance, finishing eleventh at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Using a two-stop strategy, Gutiérrez fought long for a place in the Top 10. He even climbed to an interim eighth position with 20 laps to go. But he was then overtaken by the pack of drivers on fresher tires. Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, and then Daniil Kyvat in the penultimate lap dashed the Mexican’s hopes.
Taking a step back, the former Sauber driver assessed his entire Catalan weekend:
« It was a very difficult weekend for us. It started with some issues on Friday during FP2. However, the team did everything possible to bounce back. During the race, I gave my best, even though I think we could have done better with tire management. I had some good battles on track. But my race wasn’t smooth; we need to find more consistency in our performances. »
At the same time, Romain Grosjean got off to a good start in this Grand Prix. Hovering around the tenth position in the first part of the race, he then encountered front wing problems, which pushed him down to the bottom of the standings.
Then on lap 57, the Frenchman complained over the radio about having no brakes. The safest solution was therefore to pit and retire. The driver, who had already scored 22 points this season, had to throw in the towel this time, after a good streak of eight races finishing.
« I had a good start, reaching the Top 10. Then, my front wing decided to take off for a reason I still don’t know. I then returned to the pits to change this defective wing and put on new tires. That’s when my brakes failed. The car wasn’t working ideally today. We really need to solve our difficulties, especially with the car’s balance. This week’s tests will be very important for us! »
In the meantime, the driver with number 8 praised Max Verstappen’s achievement. A performance that must have certainly reminded him of his 2013 season finale, which almost made him join the ranks of Grand Prix winners.
Impressive performance by @Max33Verstappen !!! Well done buddy on your first one with @redbullracing #SpanishGP
— Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) May 15, 2016
On a collective level, this zero score sees the American team being surpassed by Scuderia Toro Rosso. The Haas F1 Team is now sixth out of eleven teams in the constructors’ standings.
For Günther Steiner, Team Principal of the team: « this race was the most difficult of the season. But it’s part of the game. Not everything can always work ideally. »
