Esteban Gutierrez reveals he has been suffering a recurrent brake problem at the start of F1 races this year, with the Haas driver damaging his car after locking up at the first corner of last Sunday’s European Grand Prix.
It was not the first time Gutierrez had issues off the line in 2016. In Russia for instance, the Mexican had been handed a 10-second penalty for running into the back of Nico Hulkenberg on the opening lap.
Speaking to F1i, Gutierrez explained what happened at the start in Azerbaijan.
“We have been having problems with the brakes the whole weekend,” the former Ferrari test driver said. “Honestly, I had a very poor start. There was no real torque from the engine. We have a procedure where it’s pretty standard, so you can’t really miss it - I mean it’s very difficult to miss it.
“A lot of cars came and I braked into the first corner and straight away I locked so my only option was go on the left. I have been having this issue quite often so it’s something that we really need to fix.
“It’s quite annoying to arrive at the first corner, you brake and then you lock. You have no option, nowhere to go. Obviously, I tried to avoid as much as I could in the small gap I saw on the inside. This damaged my floor, my front wing and then you have to cope with it the whole race.”
Pressed to confirm whether the issue had already manifested itself at previous races, Gutierrez added: “Yes, it’s a problem we’ve been having. There is something we can learn from the system that fails to compensate the temperatures.
“When the brakes are cold, it compensates and sends the brake balance to the front. There is something to do with that, which I think we can understand better and try to put it properly.”
Following his first-lap mishap, Gutierrez eventually finished 16th and one lap down from race winner Nico Rosberg at Baku City Circuit.
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