Esteban Gutierrez

Le Castellet, France - After it was announced that BMW Sauber F1 Team will take Mexican driver Esteban Manuel Gutierrez Gutierrez under its wing as part of their driver development program, Esteban arrived yesterday in the French city, where the first official GP3 Series training will take place. 10 teams and 16 drivers out of 30 confirmed will gather on March 4-5 to begin 2010 pre-season testing.

Last week, Esteban gathered with his team, ART Grand Prix, in their facilities located in the city of Villeneuve La Guyard, about one hour south of Paris. Esteban was very pleased with the way they welcomed him and with how motivated they are. Esteban Gutierrez, Alexander Rossi (USA), and Pedro Enrique (Brazil) will be the drivers of the talented French team, which expects to conquer the championship of the GP3 Series in its debut year of 2010.

After a very productive day with the team, where he saw the work plan for the season and had the opportunity to learn different technical and mechanical aspects of the new car, Esteban returned to Paris to continue his physical and mental preparation, and the personal nutrition program, which, from now on, will be directed and monitored by the Formula 1 team. Esteban stayed in Paris for a week, working on the training program that includes muscle strengthening and aerobic work combined with running and swimming, also very important.

Gutierrez has understood very well the importance of having a good physical preparation, as driving more powerful cars with bigger down force, in very high temperatures and under difficult conditions demands an ever better physical condition. All this preparation will help the Mexican driver to feel better in each race while he does a better job behind the wheel.

Today, Gutierrez visited the Paul Ricard Circuit for a walk around the track with his engineer Pierre Alain Michot, to review every detail of the track and to prepare for the first day of testing.

“It’s been a long time since I’m not behind the wheel and all the past week I’ve been observing the car without driving it, and in some way that causes me a certain anxiety to begin this season which will be very interesting. Within the team the chemistry is very good and I think this is a very big advantage under the circumstances”, Esteban said.

“I hope I can enjoy these training days and to give good use of the time we have to get to know the car and then to think about the setup. After my surgery, I´ve been preparing very hard for this season. This training is part of that preparation and we have to get the best out of it. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to continue working with the same team to achieve our goals this year. I want to thank my sponsors Multigama, Telmex, and DeAcero for believing in me and for supporting this new challenge known as the GP3 Series. We will put our best effort and dedication to succeed together", Esteban remarked.

7 double events will be with Formula 1 and GP2, and 1 more double event with GP2.

Calendar of additional races that Esteban will do in other series:

For more information about Esteban Gutierrez, the ART Grand Prix team, or sponsors Multigama, DeAcero, Telmex, Alpinestars and Bell, visit their official websites at: www.estebanracing.com, www.art-grandprix.com, www.deacero.com, www.telmex.com, www.alpinestars.com, www.bellsports.com.