Lewis Hamilton is confident that his close friend Adrian Sutil will bounce back from the crushing disappointment of being taken out of fourth place in Monaco.
Prior to Monte Carlo, Sutil had been under pressure to improve on his shaky start to the 2008 season.
He had struggled to match his new Force India team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, and had been involved in a string of first lap tangles.
But he showed his true potential in Monaco - surging from 18th on the grid to fourth with a sublime drive in the treacherous conditions, only to be rammed into retirement by Kimi Raikkonen nine laps from the flag.
Sutil was devastated after the race, but Hamilton believes he will take strength from his performance prior to the tangle.
"Adrian's a really good friend of mine," said Lewis, who enjoyed some spirited races with Sutil when they were team-mates in Formula 3.
"He's very well known for having a very strong head on his shoulders, so I'm sure he will bounce back from that."
Hamilton believes that Sutil's strong Monaco run will be the turning point in his difficult year.
"He needs good showings like that," he said.
"I very much support him and hope that he continues the momentum he has now, and tries to improve."
Sutil admitted that he found it hard to come to terms with being robbed of a great result so close to the finish, but was pleased that he had been able to put his earlier errors behind him and show what he could do.
"It feels like a pain in my heart," he said.
"It is like a dream gone to a nightmare - suddenly you are in the car and it looks all fantastic, then you have to accept it is not going to happen.
"A few tears came out as the adrenaline was high - I just can't explain it.
"All the same I am so pleased that we did show what we can finally do as a team."
SOURCE: ITV-F1
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