Esteban Gutierrez feels the potential is there for the new Haas F1 Team despite only qualifying down on the penultimate row of the grid for the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, and the Formula 1 returnee will start P20 alongside team-mate Romain Grosjean.
The Mexican driver, who was the Scuderia Ferrari reserve driver in 2015 after two years with the Sauber F1 Team, felt he should have achieved a better time during the session, but was left without the time to improve due to the new-look elimination-style qualifying session around Albert Park.
Gutierrez knows the Haas team will develop as it experiences circumstances like this for the first time, and should learn from their mistakes in future races to be more competitive.
“It was a little frustrating not to see the lap time we achieved reflected in the results,” said Gutierrez. “However, we know the potential is there.
“Overall, I think we’ve had a very tricky weekend, but with more time we’ll become more efficient as a team. The good thing is we know the lap time was good enough to be further up the grid.
“Looking ahead, we need to be positive, to keep working hard and moving forward.”
