Is there a Gutierrez problem?
For several races now, some drivers have been complaining about Esteban Gutierrez's behavior when they are about to take a lap from him. The Haas driver and the American team's sporting director, Günther Steiner, are defending themselves against what they regard as excessive accusations.
After the conclusion of the Singapore Grand Prix, in the euphoria of a hard-fought victory, Toto Wolff, the sporting director of the Mercedes team, elaborated a bit more on the stressful final laps of the race.
So in the fight with a Daniel Ricciardo flooding his mirrors, Nico Rosberg came back to Felipe Massa and Esteban Gutierrez, battling for 11th place. The German driver was able to lap the Brazilian without a problem, but the Mexican was a bit more difficult to overtake, which Wolff laments: “We arrived in a traffic zone with Felipe Massa and Esteban Gutierrez who were fighting for their positions. And Gutierrez did as he always does with everyone, he didn’t let himself be overtaken. Honestly, there is a fight for victory underway between two guys who are battling for every tenth, and then you have a guy who wanders around interfering in the race. It just so happens it’s always the same one. We shouted to Charlie [Whiting]. Felipe got out of the way, and Esteban, who is a lovely boy, was still wandering there happy with the gap he had created with Massa.”
Rather vehement remarks that particularly displeased the main person concerned: « Mocking me in public is not really a fair way to say things. It would have been very easy for him to come and talk to me one-on-one rather than behind my back and in public,” Gutierrez retorted.
« *If he had something to say to me, he could have come and talked to me about it. He knows that I am an open person and he knows that I am very transparent. It’s disappointing to hear the way he spoke about me in public* » adds the Haas driver.
The Haas driver is supported by his sports director, Günther Steiner, who considers Toto Wolff’s attitude rather disrespectful: “Il fait un peu office de punching-ball en ce moment,” declares the Italian, speaking about Gutierrez, before continuing: “Mais je pense qu’il a été plutôt bon et juste, il se battait avec Massa, donc pourquoi voudriez-vous qu’il s’écarte ? Vous vous écartez quand vous le devez. Je ne vois pas de problème dans ce qu’il a fait. C’est un peu facile à dire quand vous dominez de la manière dont Mercedes le fait actuellement.”
Earlier in the season, Gutierrez had already been involved in an incident with a Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, who accused him of blocking him by ignoring blue flags. The British driver then made a rude gesture in his car by giving the Mexican driver the finger: « It all started with Lewis giving him the finger, which is not an acceptable gesture for a Mercedes driver. We had another issue with Ricciardo as well. We had a problem with Wehrlein but we acknowledged our mistakes and apologized. It was a totally different issue. »
To close the debate, Steiner suggests to Wolff to complain to the authorities next time such an issue arises: « If he has a problem, he should go see the race stewards! »
On his side, Gutierrez will continue to attack and approach the races in his own way: « I was not penalized in Singapore. I was racing and fighting, so I will continue in this way. »
