Gutierrez: The more we know the car the confident I feel

Esteban Gutierrez endured a frustrating start to the season as his Haas teammate shone and took all the plaudits he was plagued by problems, but it appears that the tide is turning in recent races and the Mexican is upbeat as he heads to the Canadian Grand Prix

You mentioned at Monaco that despite the result, you felt more comfortable with the car. What are you feeling in the car that’s different from what you experienced in Spain?
Esteban Gutierrez: The more we know the car, the more comfortable and confident I feel. Every time we go out, I know a better direction to follow with the setup.

Back-to-back 11th-place finishes have you knocking on the door of a point-paying result. How tight is the competition to finish in the points and how close do you think you are to getting a point-paying result?
EG: It’s been a challenging start to the season, but now we have some consistency and we can build a lot from that. I’ll keep pushing. And the team is doing a great job of learning more about the car, becoming more efficient in developing the car’s setup throughout the race weekend. We’re on track to achieve the results we want and earn as many points as possible.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a semi street circuit. Is there anything you can take from Monaco and apply to Montreal, especially considering Pirelli is bringing the same tire compounds from Monaco?
EG: Montreal is a pretty low downforce track. It’s very smooth and there are many, many long straights. It’s usually a challenge to make the tires work, and I think that’s going to be the key point of the whole weekend.

Canada is known as the hardest-braking grand prix of the year. What do you need to feel in the car to make the most of your car’s braking capability, and how do you manage your brakes for the entire, 70-lap race?
EG: It’s very similar to Monza, with a lot of long straights and low downforce. It’s important to have a good car mechanically. Hopefully, our car is well adapted to the circuit.

What is your favorite part of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve?
EG: I like all the chicanes because you can use a lot of curbs, which it makes it very exciting. I’m really looking forward to getting there and driving the track. It’s always great to be back in Montreal.