Late in September, the Haas F1 Team announced that Romain Grosjean would be one of the drivers in the lineup for the American team’s debut season in 2016. There has been much speculation during the past month about who the second driver would be, but it has finally been confirmed.
In Mexico City, ahead of the returning Mexican Grand Prix, the Haas F1 Team made the special driver announcement. Gene Haas and team announced that Esteban Gutiérrez, former Sauber driver and current Ferrari test driver, would partner with Grosjean for the 2016 season. This puts to rest speculation that American driver, Alexander Rossi, would find a seat with the team.
Gutiérrez found his path to Formula One in 2011, serving as a test driver for the Sauber F1 Team, while also racing in the GP2 series. It wasn’t until 2013 that he made his debut alongside Nico Hülkenberg. Gutiérrez consistently finished just outside of the points scoring position, only scoring six points at the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix in his two year drive with the Swiss team. At the end of 2014, Gutiérrez was dropped by Sauber and was signed with Ferrari as a test driver.
“He’s young and hungry, but not inexperienced,” said Gene Haas. “His two years running a full F1 schedule has given him some very good race experience, and having spent this season at Ferrari as their third driver allowed him to see first-hand the methodology that makes Ferrari such a power in Formula One.”
The news of a new contract with Haas comes in front of Gutiérrez’s home crowd. Now with both Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez signed with the team, their debut driver lineup is looking quite promising. It will be a thrill to see the team make their debut in Australia next season.
