Esteban Gutiérrez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Esteban Gutiérrez
Gutiérrez at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix
Born	Esteban Manuel Gutiérrez Gutiérrez (1991-08-05) 5 August 1991 (age 33) Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
Spouse(s)	Mónica Casán ​ ​ (m. 2017; div. 2022)​
Relatives	José Gutiérrez (brother)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Mexican
Active years	2013–2014, 2016
Teams	Sauber, Haas
Car number	21
Entries	59 (59 starts)
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	6
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First entry	2013 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry	2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2022–2023
Teams	Glickenhaus
Best finish	7th (2023)
Class wins	0
Previous series
2011–2012 2011 2010 2009–2010 2009–2010 2008 2007	GP2 Series GP2 Asia Series GP3 Series F3 Euro Series British F3 Formula BMW Europe Formula BMW USA
Championship titles
2010 2008	GP3 Series Formula BMW Europe

Esteban Manuel Gutiérrez Gutiérrez (born August 5, 1991) is a Mexican former racing driver and businessman. He competed in Formula One, the highest class of international racing, from 2013 to 2016.

Before Formula One, Esteban drove for the Sauber team from 2013 to 2014. After that, he joined Ferrari as a test and reserve driver in 2015. He then raced for the Haas F1 Team during the 2016 Formula One season.

In 2008, Esteban won the Formula BMW Europe championship. He was only 17 years old, making him the youngest Mexican driver to win an international championship. He also won the first-ever GP3 season in 2010. In 2012, he became the first GP3 driver to finish in the top three of the GP2 Series, a major step before Formula One.

Esteban has also raced in other cool series like Formula E (electric car racing) and the IndyCar Series in the USA. His younger brother, José Gutiérrez, is also a racing driver. Since 2024, Esteban has been a special ambassador for Mercedes in Formula One. He also started his own company, EDASI Drive, which sells official Formula One merchandise in Latin America.

Esteban's Life Outside Racing

Esteban was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. He is the second of five children in his family. Today, he lives in London, England.

Esteban's Early Racing Days

Starting in Karting

Esteban began his racing journey in 2004 with karting, which is like mini-car racing. He joined the Mexican Rotax Max Challenge for the last three races of the season. In 2005, he raced in the same series again. He also competed in the Grand Nationals in Indiana, USA, where he finished third. This earned him a spot at the World Finals in Malaysia, but he faced mechanical problems and finished 22nd.

In 2006, Esteban won all five races in the Camkart Challenge Mexico. He also raced in the Mexican Rotax Max Challenge again and finished fourth in the Mexican Grand Nationals.

Formula BMW Series Success

Winning Championships (2007–2008)

In 2007, Esteban moved up to single-seater cars, which are open-wheel race cars with one seat. He raced in the Formula BMW USA series. He finished second overall in the championship, winning four races and getting on the podium eight times. He also earned the "Rookie of the Year" award.

Esteban then moved to Europe to compete in the 2008 Formula BMW Europe championship. This was the first season for this new championship. He won the title by 26 points, taking seven wins, including six in a row! He finished on the podium five more times. Out of 16 races, he only finished outside the points twice.

Gutiérrez winning the 2008 FBMW Europe championship

In his last Formula BMW race, he started from the pole position and finished third at the 2008 World Final in Mexico City.

Formula 3 Euro Series

For 2009, Esteban moved to the Formula 3 Euro Series with the ART Grand Prix team. He finished ninth overall in the championship. He earned two podium finishes at the Nürburgring and Dijon Prenois tracks.

He also raced in two rounds of the British Formula 3 season. There, he got another podium finish and set the fastest lap at the Algarve International Circuit.

GP3 Series Champion

In 2010, Esteban joined the GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix. He won the very first season of GP3 with two races still to go! He did this by getting the pole position for the final race weekend in Monza, which gave him extra points. Esteban was amazing that season, scoring points in ten out of 16 races. He had eight podium finishes and five wins.

GP2 Series Journey

Picture taken during a race weekend at the Hockenheimring

Esteban was invited to test a GP2 car for the first time in 2009. He did very well, showing he was a fast rookie. After winning the GP3 season in 2010, he signed with ART (the GP2 sister team) to race full-time in 2011.

2011 Season

In 2011, ART Grand Prix was renamed Lotus ART. Esteban finished 13th in the main GP2 series. He scored his first points with a seventh-place finish in Valencia. He then got his first GP2 series victory in the sprint race there, also setting the fastest lap. He scored points twice more that season, including a second-place finish in Hungary.

2012 Season

Esteban stayed with Lotus ART for the 2012 season. The team was renamed Lotus GP.

Gutiérrez follows teammate James Calado in 1st place out of the first corner at the 2012 Malaysian Sprint race.

He finished third in the championship, scoring 176 points. He had three wins, four other podium finishes, and five fastest laps. This made him the first GP3 graduate to finish in the top three of the GP2 series.

Esteban's Formula One Career

Esteban first got to test a BMW Sauber Formula One car in December 2009 as a prize for winning the Formula BMW Europe championship. Even though the team lost its BMW support, he joined them as an observer for some race weekends. He was also part of the same training program as the main drivers. Later, in September 2010, he officially became the team's test and reserve driver. He took part in a young drivers' test in Abu Dhabi, showing great speed.

In October 2012, Esteban participated in his first official Formula One practice session at the Indian Grand Prix.

Racing for Sauber (2013–2014)

Gutiérrez in the Sauber C32 during winter tests at Jerez, in 2013

In 2013, Esteban was promoted to a full-time race driver with Sauber. His first race was the Australian Grand Prix, where he finished 13th, which was the best result among all the new drivers that year. In Malaysia, he qualified 14th and finished 12th.

Gutiérrez during FP1 in Malaysia

At the Spanish Grand Prix, Esteban set his first fastest lap in a Formula One race. This made him one of the youngest drivers ever to achieve a fastest lap.

Gutiérrez at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix

Esteban scored his first and only Formula One points at the Japanese Grand Prix. He started 14th and worked his way up to finish seventh, holding off another strong driver, Nico Rosberg, at the end of the race.

Test Driver for Ferrari (2015)

On December 15, 2014, Esteban was announced as the test and reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari for the 2015 Formula One season. This meant he would help the team develop their car and be ready to step in if a main driver couldn't race.

Racing for Haas F1 (2016)

Gutiérrez driving for Haas at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix

On October 31, 2015, it was announced that Esteban would return to racing in Formula One with the new Haas F1 Team. He raced alongside Romain Grosjean.

Esteban finished 14th at the Chinese Grand Prix. He also finished 11th four times (Monaco, Austria, Germany, and Singapore) and 12th at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Even though he didn't score points in 2016, he often finished just outside the top 10. On November 11, 2016, Esteban announced he would be leaving the Haas F1 Team.

Mercedes Reserve and Development Driver (2018–Present)

In July 2018, Esteban joined Mercedes AMG as a simulator driver. He helps the team by testing car setups and new parts in a special simulator, which is like a very advanced racing video game. He also became a reserve driver for both Formula 1 and Formula E. He supports main drivers like Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Esteban represented Mercedes in online esports events. Later, it was found that he was no longer eligible for a special racing license needed to be a reserve driver in Formula One. However, he continues to work for Mercedes as a brand and business ambassador.

Formula E Racing

On January 10, 2017, Esteban announced he would join Formula E, which is a racing series for electric cars. He raced for the Techeetah team in selected races during the 2016–17 season. He competed in the Mexico City, Monaco, and Paris races, finishing in the top 10 twice. He ended the season 22nd overall with five points.

IndyCar Racing

Gutiérrez racing for Dale Coyne Racing at Road America, in 2017

In June 2017, Esteban joined the IndyCar Series in the USA. He filled in for an injured driver, Sébastien Bourdais, at Dale Coyne Racing. Esteban participated in seven IndyCar races.

Esports (Online Racing)

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, when many real-world races were canceled, Esteban started competing in online esports events. Even though he was new to esports, he quickly won several races and got many podium finishes.

He raced in the F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix Series and The Race All Stars. He was even fighting for the championship title in one series until a technical problem stopped him in the final race. Esteban still streams his online racing on Twitch and Discord.

Esteban's Racing Records

Career Summary

^† As Gutiérrez was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. ^‡ Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.

Formula One Achievements

• Esteban is seventh on the list of the youngest drivers to lead a Formula One race.
• He is fifth on the list of the youngest drivers to set a fastest lap in a Formula One race.

Images for kids

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  Gutiérrez at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix

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  Gutiérrez winning the 2008 FBMW Europe championship

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  Picture taken during the DTM race weekend at the Hockenheimring

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  Gutiérrez follows teammate James Calado at the 2012 Malaysian Sprint race.

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  Gutiérrez in the Sauber C32 during winter tests at Jerez, in 2013

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  Gutiérrez during FP1 in Malaysia

• 

  Gutiérrez at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix

• 

  Gutiérrez driving for Haas at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix

• 

  Gutiérrez racing for Dale Coyne Racing at Road America, in 2017

See also

In Spanish: Esteban Gutiérrez (piloto) para niños