Gutierrez: I learned from the best people

After a full season spent as the third driver for Scuderia Ferrari, Esteban Gutierrez looks ahead to a fresh challenge as works driver for Haas F1. Meanwhile, he wraps up what has been a special year for him.

This has been your Christmas with Scuderia Ferrari and we all know that you have a big challenge ahead of yourself next year. What’s your feeling in this moment?

In this moment, first of all, I feel very grateful for this amazing opportunity to be with Ferrari. It has been a very long season, but at the same time it went by very quickly. I have learnt many things from a lot of very good guys in the team, best mechanics, best engineers, two World Champions like Sebastian and Kimi, the best team principal, Maurizio, and I really want to thank them because they have opened the doors for me to be part of it as a third driver, to contribute as well and to take the most of my experience. Now I have a big challenge ahead, that I’m much looking forward to.

What do you think you can bring to a brand new team, the one you’re joining next year?

I believe that I can contribute a lot with my experience, my knowledge of the development of the engine, the gearbox from 2012 to 2013, 2014 when the rules changed dramatically. How it developed from 2014 to 2015, I’ve always been driving Ferrari engines so I know all the procedures and everything. I think it’s a very important thing to have.

Before that begins, you have few days to enjoy as a Christmas break. What do you think you’ll be doing? Going back to Mexico?

Yes it’s true, it’s time to go back to the family, I’ll have some time off. We’ve been travelling a lot, doing a lot of preparation, a lot of events and in general I think the most important thing for all of us that are part of the Formula One world, is that we want to take a rest with the family somewhere stable without travelling, without moving around. This is the best thing to do.