Haas F1 second driver name leaked - Gutierrez

[Scott]

In a way it is too bad since they were going to make the announcement in Mexico at the GP.  Now apparently they will announce in Austin next week even though this is certainly going to be all over the internet by then.

Gutierrez brings with him 2 seasons of experience in a lousy Sauber, Ferrari ties making the engine supplier happy and a pile of Carlos Slim's pesos. 

I guess Gene has discovered that F1 is a bit more complex than he thought when he announced a simple assembly and small base of operations in Europe with the bulk of the manufacturing going on at the US base.  He has since expanded his European branch, and that will cost more money...hence the Slim money needed. 

I hope he is able to convince a few of his current NASCAR sponsors to put stickers on his F1 cars.  My hope is that Bass Pro is going to open European stores (I'm in dreamland) and that maybe he can land Coke which would be peachy on a Ferrari red background.

http://thejudge13.com/2015/10/15/haas-f1-second-driver-name-leaked/

[Jericoke]

Sounds like Haas has a good set of drivers.

Expecting the car to live up to them would be foolish, but a girl can hope.

I do hope that the team succeeds.  F1 needs to show that new comers are welcome.

[Steve A.]

I think new teams are always welcome, the problem is because of the financial bias they find it very hard to stick around.

[F1fanaticBD]

Guti landing on the Haas was inevitable, as development driver Ferrari will push for this, and in a way it is a blessing for Haas as it comes with extra dividend of Slim money.

[Irisado]

Gutierrez had a pretty good Sauber alongside Hulkenberg in 2013, and only finished in the points once.  He struck me as being a touch average back then, and looked even more so driving the 2014 Sauber, although that was a poor car by the standards of this era.

I suspect that his time as Ferrari test driver will have seen him improve somewhat.  Whether it will have converted his performances in a similar way to those of Massa (Massa's debut for Sauber in 2002 was very poor, but his time as Ferrari test driver saw him improve considerably when he rejoined Sauber two years later). remains to be seen.  I think that he's a solid choice at the moment, but no more than that.

[Dare]

Gutierrez had a pretty good Sauber alongside Hulkenberg in 2013, and only finished in the points once.  He struck me as being a touch average back then, and looked even more so driving the 2014 Sauber, although that was a poor car by the standards of this era.

I suspect that his time as Ferrari test driver will have seen him improve somewhat.  Whether it will have converted his performances in a similar way to those of Massa (Massa's debut for Sauber in 2002 was very poor, but his time as Ferrari test driver saw him improve considerably when he rejoined Sauber two years later). remains to be seen.  I think that he's a solid choice at the moment, but no more than that.

Fisichella beat Massa at Sauber....he also beat every other teamie with the exception of Alonso and  team orders were a part of that.

[Irisado]

Fisichella did, indeed, have the upper hand over Massa at Sauber.  My point was that Massa substantially improved after his stint as Ferrari test driver, having increased speed and a much reduced propensity for crashing.

I'm not following your point about team orders.  Alonso beat Fisichella when they were team mates at Renault because he was faster, or did you mean something else?

[cosworth151]

It's official:

http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/no-surprise-haas-f1-team-adds-ferrari-reserve-esteban-gutierrez-driver-lineup