Esteban Gutierrez's Ferrari insight vital says Haas F1 team

Gutierrez was recently unveiled as second driver with F1 newcomer Haas, with the Mexican partnering Romain Grosjean, who will be leaving Lotus at the end of this season.

Given the technical partnership Haas has entered into with Ferrari, the American team feels Gutierrez - who has been the Scuderia's reserve driver this past year - will be in a position to impart crucial advice.

"His knowledge of Ferrari helps us a lot," Steiner told Autosport.

"As everybody knows we are new, so we need to bring over the processes and procedures from Ferrari, and we need a good team to establish that.

"Working with somebody who has been in the simulator at Ferrari, who knows their processes and how the software works - which he is used to as he has used their car, with the software to map our car very similar - that can only be good for us."

Although Gutierrez started his F1 career with two difficult seasons driving for Sauber, Steiner feels it is the year with Ferrari that has been the most beneficial for the 24-year-old.

"He drove for two years in F1, spent one year with Ferrari - maybe he was a bit too young when he first entered F1," added Steiner.

"But we said 'Hey, he is still young, but he knows Ferrari and has driven in F1'. He fitted what we wanted.

"To be honest we looked at a lot of people, but in the end we decided 'let's get him'.

"He can be quick. He was quick in GP3 en route to winning the championship, and at Sauber, it's difficult to assess, in looking back, as to how quick he was. I don't know, but he wasn't slow.

"So he knows F1, he knows Ferrari, he has matured a lot, and I think he can bring a lot to us.

"When he was with Ferrari he learned how to talk to the engineers, but at Sauber he didn't know that because it was new and he was young.

"But now he's done it, now he can look back at how the good people do it, and I hope he makes his own way, and he takes us along with it."