Adrian Sutil Q&A: ‘Sometimes there are seasons where you just have bad luck’

Adrian Sutil didn’t score any points for Force India in 2008, but no one will forget his stunning drive in Monaco, where he was running fourth until he was pushed off the road by Kimi Raikkonen. We asked the German about the highs and lows of his past season, and for his thoughts on next year.

Q: How would you sum up the 2008 season?
‘We started quite well as the car performance was a lot better than last year, but then we lost a little bit, as the development wasn’t there anymore. We had a few updates for the first races but the first six races were quite difficult for me with the new regulations. I had quite big problem to use the tyres in the right way. Then after Monaco actually everything went better. I made good progress with all the new items I was learning. Unfortunately we had quite a lot of technical problems and some incidents in the races. There were plenty of races which could have been good, but in the end the car broke down or something happened, which was very disappointing.’

Q: Monaco was an amazing afternoon for you. What was it like to run as high as fourth in the biggest Grand Prix of the year?
‘Monaco was for sure my absolute highlight. When I look back it’s still a fantastic memory, it gives me motivation and makes me very happy. I still have on my computer the picture of the timing screen when I was in fourth position, doing the fastest lap with a ‘pink’ [ie fastest] time! I watch it and think that was a good day.’

Q: What did Kimi say to you?
‘Kimi apologised afterwards straight away, and when I see him he always comes up with this story. He’s a good guy.’

Q: Did it take you long to get over the disappointment?
‘After a week I thought, OK, you can’t change it. But always when I look back like this I think I can’t believe it. Why? Still now when I really remember back it’s incredible, the feeling that comes up, and I don’t understand the words sometimes.’

Q: People tend to only remember results, but do you think that race boosted your reputation around the paddock?
‘Yes absolutely. After half a year all the fans remember the situation very clearly. It was Monaco, it was unexpected and then it ended so dramatically – it was a good story for a race. It was also a good thing for my reputation. It was a very good race with a dramatic ending, and I think that was even better for reminding people. For sure next year when I come back to Monaco there will be lots of PR things to do, and there will be many questions!’

Q: There were lots of other races affected by rain or safety cars. Was it disappointing that none of them brought you points?
‘We had quite a lot of wet races or rainy conditions in qualifying. But nothing compares to Monaco. Monaco in the rain is a very special circuit. All the other circuits you have run-off areas, you can make mistakes, it just gives you a much more confident feeling in the car, and everybody’s pushing straight away. But in Monaco you have to go really easy. Some people risk more, some of them are really scared. If you risk more, and you really put a good lap together, you’re in the front. This is a big difference, really.’

Q: What other races stand out for you?
‘We had a few good races. Japan would have been another good opportunity to race in the midfield. Maybe for a top 10 position in the end it would have been difficult, but not impossible. It was so sad after a few laps to get a tyre puncture like that. You think, ‘Why me again?’ Sometimes you have seasons where you just have bad luck.’

Q: You were involved in a few first lap incidents. How hard is it when you’re at that end of the grid?
‘A few times I was risking quite a lot at the beginning. I think I crashed into David Coulthard two times! Sometimes you risk and it works, sometimes not. Sometimes you are cautious in the first corner, and maybe you lose a little bit. I had good days where everybody said, ‘This is great,’ and other ones where everybody came to me afterwards and said, ‘What are you doing?’ In the back you never know what happens. Sometimes everybody’s braking and you can’t react to it, and it’s a mess, but if you don’t try you can’t improve.’

Q: Did you feel under pressure after having a few incidents?
‘The team told me just to try to survive the first lap and then go on with your race, because you’re quick in the race, no problem. It was always a good conversation with my team, they were never angry because they also knew how we could make up places at the start and how when circumstances were right we could have great races.That’s why we were always talking in a good way, always trying to improve ourselves and have a better performance in the end.’

Q: The car looked better when the team introduced the new gearbox, but then you seemed to fall away again.
‘Exactly, we did a good step for Valencia with the new gearbox, it worked very well as it gave us about three tenths a lap. But in a few races the other teams came with new developments and new updates, and we didn’t have anything, so we stayed where we were.’

Q: In what area did the car need to improve?
‘I think it was the aero, as with nearly every team! We had a good engine, but the aero with the tyres is very important. If the aero is right, the tyre has better grip, you have more confidence in the car, and you can go a few tenths quicker again. It’s all a combination. But we were slow on the straights, and that’s where we struggled.’

Q: Have you improved as a driver?
‘I think with the new regulations I had to adapt my driving style. Last year I was doing really well in qualifying, my laps were always quite strong. This year it was a new situation, without traction control, and it took a little while. But now I’m on the same level as last year, or a little bit stronger. I’m more experienced now, and I had a very good team mate in Giancarlo, and I could learn quite a lot from him, with all the data. This was good, and also mentally I’m much better now. After two years of F1 you feel better, your self confidence is higher.’

Q: Was it good to have an experienced team mate who pushed you really hard?
‘Exactly, that’s how it should be really. If the gap is over half a second you don’t need to change something in the car, as even with a not so good set-up, you can still beat him. But now we are always trying to get the maximum out of the car, and that’s how it should be. You really need someone in the team who pushes you. This is nice, I really like it.’

Q: Are you excited about the new co-operation with McLaren and Mercedes?
‘I think it will be a great help and a big step. Maybe we can really go into the top 10 and finish a few races in the points. That would be a good step for next year. I’m confident.’

Q: What do you think about KERS and the other big changes for 2009?
‘The KERS system will be very interesting. For sure it’s heavy and driving will be a little bit different, but I think it’s a good idea. We can also adjust the front wing while driving, which is also another challenge, and slick tyres is going back to the roots. I think it will be good. There will be even more work to do while driving, which makes everything more interesting.’