Haas team boss Guenther Steiner is refusing to blame Esteban Gutierrez for his lap-one clash with Nico Hulkenberg at the Russian Grand Prix.
Gutierrez's race fell apart at Turn 2 in Sochi when he collided with the Force India, forcing him in to an early pit stop before a drive-through penalty several laps later. The Mexican driver is yet to score a point for the American team in the opening four races -- all 22 have gone to Romain Grosjean -- but Steiner thinks Gutierrez will learn from his latest setback.
"I think he has had quite a few unlucky circumstances for him," Steiner said. "It's getting better, I mean at the start he had a little bit too much wheelspin and then ran in to Hulkenberg. What can you do? Hopefully next time it is better.
"He needs now to focus on the next race, which he will, and try to do the best. But in qualifying he was just a little bit behind Romain and he's doing a good job for the team. He just had a bad start and that ended his race, that was it. If you have to come in and you lose all this time in the first lap you are gone."
Immediately after the race Steiner confessed it was difficult to be too unhappy with what happened at Turn 2 from a team perspective because the various incidents at Turn 2 helped elevate Grosjean into the points, where the Frenchman would stay until the end of the race, finishing eighth.
Asked what the result has taught Haas, Steiner replied: ""That if you never give up you can get points. We had a difficult time in China, we had a learning time in FP1 and FP2 but then again if we do our job properly - and everyone did work hard and this is just down to the guys that worked hard - then we can get in the points again most of the time."