Esteban Gutierrez

Mexican driver Esteban Gutierrez was brilliant to gain 22 positions and reach a podium finish on the Sprint race of the GP2 Series at the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary.

After an engine problem forced him out of Race 1, Gutierrez had to start today 24th on the grid, to eventually finish second with a last lap spectacular overtaking maneuver over championship leader and former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean.

Esteban Gutierrez
Lotus ART Team / Car # 6 / Telmex / Multigama / Fastenal / Vector Casa de Bolsa / Interproteccion / DeAcero / Total Health Nutrients / Alpinestars / Bell Helmets

“It really was an interesting race, we didn’t expect it but were able to climb back and basically I was trying to do my best without thinking where I was because it was very difficult to know.

“It was a combination of several factors. The mood was a little down but it was important to stay motivated and in the end this can be an example of how anybody can have a failure one day and then have a great success on the next”, said the Mexican.

With a changing weather that included rain, drivers were forced to change tires and modify their race strategy, which the Lotus ART driver used in his favor to do a pit stop in the final stages of the race and place himself in the top positions.

In the final minutes of the race, 19 year old driver from Monterrey, Mexico, was behind Grosjean and fighting for second, but it was until the last corner when the Frenchman could not hold the heavy pressure from the Mexican, who crowned a great performance with a podium finish, added five points to his tally and reached 14 points in the championship.

“In the final part of the race I was fighting Grosjean for second, and I managed to overtake him in the last turn. It was a very emotional moment and I feel grateful to the team because after all our mistakes this is evidence that we really have a good pace and the necessary tools to keep moving forward.

“The fight with Grosjean was very exciting and an honor for me because we know he is leading the championship and what a great driver he is. It was really an honor to race against him and his team and we look forward to have more clean, exciting fights like the one we had today, which are the ones we like best”, he remarked.

First place was for Stefano Coletti who finished the race in 45 minutes and 53.864 seconds, with runner up Gutierrez finishing in 46 minutes and 01.157 seconds, while Grosjean finished third with a race time of 46 minutes and 01.265 seconds, completing the podium for race 14 of the F1 feeder series.

“I want to thank my family, friends, my girlfriend, and to all the fans who support me in the ups as well as the downs. After being frustrated yesterday we bounced back today and had a very exciting race.

“The guys at Sauber were very happy with the result of this race, because after all that happened yesterday that was out of our control, today we were able to do a clean, flawless and interesting race”, he concluded.

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For more information about Esteban Gutierrez, the Lotus ART Team, the GP2 Series, or his sponsors Multigama, Telmex, Fastenal, Vector Casa de Bolsa, Interproteccion, DeAcero, Total Health Nutrients, Alpinestars and Bell, visit their official websites at: www.estebanracing.com, www.art-grandprix.com,  www.gp2series.com, www.escuderiatelmex.com, www.fastenal.com, www.vector.com.mx, www.interproteccion.com.mx, www.deacero.com, www.totalhealthnutrients.com, www.alpinestars.com, www.bellsports.com