Mexican driver Esteban Gutierrez will enjoy the backing of the Sauber team in 2010.
Gutierrez, 18, will attend Grand Prix with the team and be able to join in meetings and listen in on team radio.
Sauber do not have a third driver for the 2010 season yet and this is not the role Gutierrez will be filling. Team principal Peter Sauber said:
We view this link-up as a kind of sponsorship arrangement. Nowadays you can only give young drivers a very limited amount of help in gaining a foothold in Formula One. With the limited number of testing opportunities, it is important for the teams to have the race drivers in the cars during those sessions.
However, the world of Formula One is so complex that you can learn a great deal just by watching and listening to what’s going on. That’s the opportunity we’re giving Esteban. And we will also help him to get himself in F1-trim physically.
Peter Sauber
Gutierrez drove for the team in the young drivers’ test at the end of last year. He won the F1-supporting Formula BMW Europe championship last year.
This year he will drive for ART in GP3 which is on the support bill for the Spanish, Belgian, British, Italian and Hungarian Grands Prix.
James
26th February 2010, 10:47
Peter Sauber always had a nack for finding young tallented drivers, seem like a good move to me.
Ned Flanders
26th February 2010, 10:52
Just out of curiosity does anyone know who the last Mexican driver to race in F1 was? Has a Mexican ever won a GP?
James
26th February 2010, 11:00
I dont know the answer to the first question, but I’m sure no Mexican has ever won a race
steph
26th February 2010, 11:40
Mexican drivers: Hector Rebaque 1977-81 (13 career points but no win)
Pedro Rodríguez 63-71 (2 wins, 7 podiums, 1 flap, 74 points)
Ricard ” ” 61-61 (4 career points)
Moisés Solana – 63-68 (nothing with only 8 entries)
Ned Flanders
26th February 2010, 12:30
Thanks, I thought there was one Mexican winner but I wasn’t sure. Gutierrex looks like he could be the real deal, and I like seeing new nationalities represented in F1
mac v2
26th February 2010, 16:04
Last Mexican around was Hector Rebaque.
Pedro Rodríguez, a sports car legend, winner of Lemans 24 in the 60´s, indeed won 2 GP in the BRM.
Esteban has the potential sponsorship from Telmex… biggest telecommunications company in latinamerica.
Peter
26th February 2010, 11:26
Pedro Rodríguez de la Vega.
'
26th February 2010, 16:15
Why do you insist on contining to refer to the team as ‘BMW Sauber’? The ‘BMW’ part is only still there because of the FIA rules preventing a name change at the late stage that the pruchase happened, and it’s very confusing because it makes me think of the old team and I think ‘hold on, they’re gone?’ It would be much easier if you’d just call them Sauber. :P
James
26th February 2010, 16:25
BMW Sauber is still their official name for the moment, so if Keith only addressed them as Sauber, he would, in fact, be incorrect.
'
26th February 2010, 16:28
What a pathetic argument. Ferrari’s official name is Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, but do we call them that? McLaren’s official name is Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, but do we call them that? Is saying ‘McLaren’ or ‘Ferrari’ incorrect, because it’s not the full official name?
steph90
26th February 2010, 16:40
Well no because they are only sponsors the actual team is still BMW Sauber. Plenty of people do just refer to the team as Sauber but on nearly every article and site they are correctly called BMW Sauber it doesn’t matter if the BMW part doesn’t reeally exist the name has still stayed
'
26th February 2010, 16:44
‘Scuderia’ is not a sponsor of Ferrari, it is a part of the actual team name but I don’t see anyone saying ‘Scuderia Ferrari’.
ajokay
26th February 2010, 16:46
If it makes you feel any better apostrophe, I too am just calling them ‘Sauber’.
steph
26th February 2010, 17:55
I call them Sauber too but it’s understandable why motorsport sites call them BMW Sauber is all I’m saying and I do occassionally include the Scuderia for Ferrari just I never type it as I’m too lazy :P
James
26th February 2010, 18:35
If he didnt address them as BMW Sauber, there would pedadantics out there moaning about it.
I too call them Sauber, but according the FIA entry list, for the moment, they are BMW Sauber. They may keep BMW in the name as part of the severance package Peter Sauber negotiated with BMW.
Jarred Walmsley
26th February 2010, 19:09
Well ‘ the english for Scuderia is actually team so if the official english name for Ferrari is actually Team Ferrari which is rather pointless in saying don’t you think? and the same applies for Scuderia Torro Rosso as well, is italian for Team Red Bull which would be pointless in saying the full name as well thus we remove the team and just say the team name. Whereas with BMW Sauber, BMW Sauber is the team name, thus this is what we have to call them to be correct.
jose arellano
26th February 2010, 17:39
viva mexicooo.. had my hopes on sergio perez but i been dissapointed lately…
manatcna
26th February 2010, 23:48
As far as I’m concerned, the team is Sauber, but if people want to call them BMW-Sauber, then that’s OK too.
Paige
27th February 2010, 22:35
Who is going to pick up Alexander Rossi? He has been very impressive in GP2 Asia so far.
Manuel Langman
2nd March 2010, 5:42
Hello just stumbled your site and been browsing around some of your entries and just wondering why you chose a WordPress blog dont you find it hard to do anything with? Been thinking about starting one.