Entering F1 was not easy, says Esteban Gutierrez

Esteban Gutierrez

Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez has said that tensions has been a major factor which contributed to his struggle for form this year.

Gutierrez, who is in his first year in Formula One struggled most of the year and had to wait till the Japanese Grand Prix to earn his maiden points.

“Coming up in formula one is not easy, you have to go step by step, I made some mistakes early in the season, like all rookies, but then it was a matter of putting in place all the pieces of the puzzle. The team knows how hard I’ve worked, and am still working, to get everything in place to grow as a grand prix driver, and to grow with the team,” Gutierrez told the French magazine Auto Hebdo.

“Many things changed for me. We have a big family in Mexico, and the life of each member, not only mine, was affected radically, and in a really fast way. Inevitably, this has created tensions. This is not something I’ve ever mentioned or shown in the media, but it was unavoidable — and it has an impact,” added Gutierrez,” he added.

Gutierrez added that his future beyond 2013 is not in his hand and said that he expects to stay in the Formula One scene.