Esteban Gutierrez spent three seasons in F1 – two with Sauber, one with Haas – and became well-known for a couple of things: ignoring blue flags and finishing 11th. Despite only scoring points on one occasion, he wasn’t entirely terrible, and after getting the boot from Haas he dabbled in Formula E and IndyCar.
He’s been less active in 2018, though, and that’s because he’s been busy doing simulator work for Mercedes. He sure kept that quiet!
The 2010 GP3 champion will be demonstrating the 2016 Mercedes W07 at Silverstone this weekend and is hoping that his work for the team will put him back on the radar for an F1 drive in the future. He told Autosport:
“[Formula E and IndyCar] were great opportunities to try what is out there. I really enjoyed the new challenges, but my aim is Formula 1. I feel that I have a lot to give as a driver in Formula 1 and giving up is not an option for me. Anything is possible. That’s my goal and I am working hard for it. I’m hoping for [a test in the 2018 Mercedes]. My objective is to contribute the team as much as I can.”
He’s actually been working with the team since the start of the year but opted to keep the news quiet in order to just focus on his job. It isn’t the first big team he’s worked with, though – in 2015 he was Ferrari’s reserve driver, a role which helped him land a place at Haas the following year.
With so few seats available and so many juniors in the queue for spaces in the midfield, you suspect his chances were over long ago. But you can’t blame the guy for trying!
