Esteban Gutierrez came close to his first points for the Haas F1 Team last time out in Spain where he finished eleventh, and is looking forward to racing around the streets of Monaco for the first time since 2014 next weekend.
The Mexican feels the Monaco round of the season is the most iconic of all the races, but is the most demanding as well, with concentration key to a good weekend on a track notoriously difficult to overtake.
“It’s simply the most iconic race on the calendar,” revealed Gutierrez. “There’s a lot of history. It’s very special to race in Monaco, in general. It’s a very cool place.
“It is one of the most demanding circuits, but it’s very special. It’s very important to keep your focus all weekend, which becomes a challenge, as you have many different distractions around. It’s a very intense event because it’s small; everything’s compressed.
“It’s the most difficult track to overtake. I would say that qualifying usually determines how the race will finish.”
Gutierrez knows that a driver can have a lot of influence on the result around Monaco, but also needs the car beneath him to push to the limit.
“The car never stops being a factor, but it is true that the driver can have a lot of influence because it’s a track that is very demanding,” said Gutierrez.
“You can make a lot of difference with different driving styles, and by having the confidence in your car in order to push and get the maximum out of what you have.”
