Gutierrez joins Scuderia Ferrari

Ferrari have announced the shock signing of Mexican Esteban Gutierrez as their reserve driver for the upcoming Formula One season.

The 23-year-old, who has raced for Sauber for the last two seasons joins after loosing his seat in the swiss team, with Marcus Erricson and Felipe Nasr both signed for next season.

"We are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to Esteban who, although young, has plenty of experience relating to the new generation of Formula 1 cars." said new Ferrari Team Principal, Maurizio Arrivabene. "I  am sure that, with his experience, he will make an important contribution to the development work of the team in the simulator".

"It is an honour to become part of the Scuderia Ferrari family, a Team with such an exceptional history," Gutierrez said of the move. "It is for me the beginning of a new path for my future and I’m going to do my utmost to contribute to the achievement of the targets set by the Scuderia. I want to thank everybody for their belief in my potential; this will bring a great opportunity for me to develop further and get to the top in the near future. With all my passion and dedication, I’m now looking forward to the start of this new venture."

As of yet, there has been no news on whether Pedro de la Rosa, Marc gene, Davide Rigon and Andrea Bertolini will continue to form part of the F1 team's plans.

Image: Ferrari