Gutierrez unhappy with Sainz in Japan

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Esteban Gutierrez expressed his annoyance with Carlos Sainz's defensive move on lap 19 of last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

The Haas driver qualified tenth and was running consistently in the top ten until his pitstop on lap 11 which sent him to the tail end of the field.

He picked up his race from there and locked himself on to Sainz Toro Rosso, eventually challenging the Spaniard for position at the chicane on lap 19 by diving into the inside of Sainz.

The Spaniard countered the move however and forced the Mexican into a spin.

"I don't think it was fair from his side," explained the Mexican.

"Because he knew that I was going to go deep, he knew that I was going to go inside. I had the space, I had the speed, and he closed the door completely.

"So obviously I had to turn in as well and brake, otherwise I would have crashed into him."

After the mishap, Gutierrez , who is yet to be confirmed at Haas for 2017, remained at the back of the field for pretty much the remainder of the afternoon, ultimately finishing a distant 20th.

"We did a really good start, we were happy with the pace. It was going really well at the beginning, and when we pitted, we came out with a lot of traffic.

"I don't know what went wrong there. I think we could have done a bit better with the strategy.

"I pushed all the way, it was not the ideal position to be in, and then after the blue flags, it seems like everything went wrong.

"We have to keep pushing, we showed very good pace in qualifying, and we have to carry through to the rest of the season. We have to take the positives, it's not really the race we wanted."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.