Marshals remove the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez after he clouted the Armco in MonacoAt the Monaco Grand Prix Sauber plumbed the depths of its embarrassing situation, according to veteran Swiss correspondent Roger Benoit.
The Hinwil based team has had a dire 2014 season so far, but in Monte Carlo both Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez were among the very backmarkers, then both crashed out of the glamorous street race, in separate incidents.
“That was certainly the most painful mistake in my Formula 1 career,” admitted Mexican Gutierrez, who clumsily clouted the barrier.
Capitalising on the chaotic race, however, was the backmarker Marussia, whose Jules Bianchi went onto score the struggling team’s first ever Formula 1 points.
The fact thatSauber still have zero points in 2014, behind Marussia, is “embarrassing” for the Swiss team, Benoit wrote in the newspaper Blick.
Team boss Monisha Kaltenborn, however, insists Sauber have in fact made a “step forward” in recent races.
“Maybe then the next discussion should be about the drivers,” wondered Benoit. “Many fans have long been demanding that Dutch reserve driver Giedo van der Garde gets a cockpit.”
The highly experienced Felipe Massa began his career at Sauber some twelve years ago, and he used the race seat as a springboard to his long Ferrari career.
Asked about Sauber, the Brazilian said in Monaco: “They are not in a good way. It is tough times for them. What can I say? They’re behind us, so it’s okay.” (GMM)