Mexican Esteban Gutierrez will race for the new U.S.-owned Haas Formula One team next season after being officially appointed on Friday.
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Confirming the worst-kept secret in F1 ahead of the Mexican GP, the 24-year-old will partner Romain Grosjean at the new team.
“What’s next for me is something wonderful and my position right now is really good to achieve great things”.
Gutierrez is now a reserve driver with Ferrari and will join Frenchman Romain Grosjean to give Haas an experienced lineup for its debut.
Talking about the sort of driver Haas were after, team principal Gunther Steiner said earlier this month: “Someone who has driven an F1 auto, of the current generation, money is always important, because it costs a lot of money, and North America is a nice place for a driver to come from”.
Gutierrez had one top-10 finish during his time with Sauber, ending up seventh at the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix.
‘I got to know Esteban through our relationship with Ferrari, and after looking at the success he’s had to earn his role there, it became clear he was an excellent choice for our race team, ‘ said Haas.
‘Gene Haas believes in me and I believe in how he’s going about competing in Formula One.
“He’s young and hungry, but not inexperienced”, Haas added.
The 2010 GP3 champion competed in GP2 for two seasons, finishing third in 2012, before being taken on by Sauber in 2013.
Gutierrez at least secured his role with Ferrari, a link that helped him return to a race seat with Haas, which will use the Scuderia’s power unit and other components from next year.
We’re very happy to have Esteban as a part of our race team.
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Gutierrez has been Ferrari reserve driver since losing his seat at the Swiss Sauber team at the end of last season.
