Sauber F1 Team has announced that Esteban Gutierrez will stay with the team for the 2014 Formula One season. The Mexican will race alongside Adrian Sutil, who joined in from Force India earlier this month.
"I am happy to be able to continue as a driver for the Sauber F1 Team. It was a steep learning curve last season, but by working closely with the team I was able to improve continuously. [...] The technical challenges in 2014 will be massive. Therefore it will be even more important to know well the people you are working with. I will do my very best to improve even more and support the team the best way I can," said Gutierrez.
Additionally, the Swiss team signed Sergey Sirotkin, previously rumored to replace Gutierrez, as its test driver for the 2014 season.
"It's a big chance for me to become the test driver for the Sauber F1 Team. I will work hard to improve myself and to extract the maximum out of this opportunity. Formula One is very complex, so it is important to get an opportunity like this. My main focus next year, however, will be the World Series by Renault, which is very competitive. This will give me the chance to prepare even better in order to be ready for the next big step," the Russian driver said.
The 2014 Formula One season, which will see the introduction of a brand new 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine, will commence on March 16 with the Grand Prix of Australia in Melbourne.
Additionally, the Swiss team signed Sergey Sirotkin, previously rumored to replace Gutierrez, as its test driver for the 2014 season.
"It's a big chance for me to become the test driver for the Sauber F1 Team. I will work hard to improve myself and to extract the maximum out of this opportunity. Formula One is very complex, so it is important to get an opportunity like this. My main focus next year, however, will be the World Series by Renault, which is very competitive. This will give me the chance to prepare even better in order to be ready for the next big step," the Russian driver said.
The 2014 Formula One season, which will see the introduction of a brand new 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine, will commence on March 16 with the Grand Prix of Australia in Melbourne.