Esteban Gutierrez made it through to the top ten shootout for the second time in 2016, and will start the Japanese Grand Prix from tenth on the grid on Sunday.
The Haas F1 Team driver joined team-mate Romain Grosjean inside the top ten, the first time both drivers of the American team made it passed Q2, and the Mexican admitted he was happy with the result for the whole team.
Whereas Gutierrez made an awful start the last time he qualified inside the top ten in Italy, he is eager to put it right this weekend and break into the points at the venue where he secured his only points finish of his career to date back in 2013.
“I feel so happy for the whole team,” said Gutierrez. “It was surprising to arrive into qualifying and put both cars into Q3 as we started the weekend in a very difficult position.
“We lost a lot of practice time in FP2 and we were not completely happy with the balance of the car, but as a team we managed to recover completely. It’s a great skill that we need to keep hold of as this really made the difference today.
“We pushed the maximum we could and we fought right until the end. I feel very proud of the whole team. They all deserve this as they’ve been doing a great job. Without them, without my crew, my engineers, my mechanics, today would not have been possible.
“So, I dedicate what we have achieved today to them. Tomorrow, I’ll be pushing to the maximum and I won’t be looking back.”
