Esteban Gutierrez is in talks with a “top team” about returning to a test driver role in Formula 1 for the 2017 season, alongside his FIA Formula E commitments.
Gutierrez spent his 2015 season as a reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari after being dropped from Sauber F1 Team, but then returned to racing in 2016 when signing a deal with Haas F1 Team. Gutierrez failed to score a single point for Haas in its debut season, unlike team-mate Romain Grosjean who finished the season with thirteen points, and found himself out of a drive again when Kevin Magnussen was signed to replace him for 2017.
Despite this, Gutierrez has now confirmed he will make selected outings in Formula E, but for him there are still opportunities out there to remain connected to Formula 1 as a test driver.
“I have some options to be in Formula 1 as a test driver, which I’m evaluating,” Gutierrez told Autosport. “There are doors still open. Fortunately I have good relationships with many people, which I developed through the years. I am focusing on a particular team. It’s one of the top teams.
“It’s about timing. I have worked a lot. I have to decide whether this can be an option that makes sense for my future. Obviously the timing [of the Haas decision] for me was not ideal at the end of last season, so I’m really looking at the options that are there for my career in the present, and develop my vision for the opportunity to keep growing.
“I don’t want to do things just for the sake of doing them and just to be there [in the F1 paddock]. I want to have something that makes sense.”
