The Singapore Grand Prix gave the Sauber F1 Team the opportunities to score their first points of a disappointing 2014 Formula 1 season, but both Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil were forced to abandon their races before the end with mechanical problems to continue their scoreless run.
Gutierrez was having his most competitive race of the season at the Marina Bay circuit, and felt he was on course for the first points of the season before being forced to pull into the pits with an ERS failure. He was visibly upset after his retirement and bitterly disappointed to have yet more mechanical issues of a very poor year for the team.
“There is not much to say about the race,” said Gutierrez. “At the moment it is almost impossible to achieve good results. We have to extract 120 percent from what we have, but with these issues we are having it makes things complicated. There is nothing that I can do to guard against these problems at the moment.
“We have to look forward to the next races and need to take every chance that we get. Keep fighting will be the most important objective for us as a team at the moment.”
Team-mate Sutil joined the Mexican on the sidelines after a water leak on lap forty, and was frustrated to again fail to see the chequered flag due to a mechanical issue. He had an eventful race up to then, obtaining a five second penalty for gaining an advantage by running off the track, and then clashing with the Force India of Sergio Perez, which Sutil was lucky to escape damage from.
“It is very frustrating to retire again due to a technical failure,” said Sutil. “Today we were in a good position to score points. It was a difficult race, as we had problems with the engine at the beginning. However, we were able to fix it and continue with our planned strategy.
“Regarding the contact with Sergio (Perez), there is not much to say besides that suddenly he drove into the back of the car. Luckily the car was not damaged.”
