Sauber is not considering dismissing Gutierrez

Peter Sauber has played down rumors of a possible withdrawal of rookie Esteban Gutierrez. The Mexican has replaced his compatriot Sergio Perez and is partnering Nico Hulkenberg. Sauber said he was happy with the German.

“He did exactly what we expected of him,” he told the Swiss newspaper Blick. “It is not only fast but also consistent, and provides engineers with useful information. It's up to us to give him the car to regularly enter Q3 and compete for the top positions" added Sauber.

Gutierrez has struggled so far in 2013. The 21-year-old has not only failed to keep up with his teammate, but has also been involved in several accidents fueling rumors of his replacement.

According to the newspaper Blick, Kamui Kobayashi, Sebastien Buemi and Fabio Leimer would be among the potential candidates.

Sauber explained: “Esteban had a difficult start, and the media therefore criticized him. We are certainly not happy with his results so far, and neither is he. But after four races the drivers can't be questioned. Esteban has the full support of the team, so he can turn his talent into results. We didn't support him for several years at all."

“The main problem with rookies is that they haven't driven much of a Formula 1 before their racing debut,” explained the 69-year-old. “This is why we have long discussed giving the rookies an extra set of tires on Friday morning to allow them to do more laps. It won't solve the problem completely, but it will help."