Ex-F1 driver Esteban Gutierrez to make IndyCar debut in Detroit
Esteban Gutierrez will make his IndyCar debut as stand-in for the injured Sebastien Bourdais in Detroit this weekend with Dale Coyne Racing
Bourdais suffered fractures to his pelvis and hip in a 227mph crash during his qualifying run for the Indianapolis 500, and is aiming to return for the season finale in Sonoma in September.
He was replaced by James Davison for the 500-mile race, but Gutierrez will take over in the #18 Honda-powered entry for the Detroit double-header
"I'm very grateful to join Dale Coyne Racing, a highly competitive team," Gutierrez said.
"When Dale Coyne called me, I had no doubt that this would be a great opportunity for me to get experience in the IndyCar series.
"My target is to learn as quickly as possible. IndyCar is a very challenging series for drivers, but I feel ready to take this chance."
The team's plans for the #18 seat past Detroit remain unclear, with Coyne having told Autosport this week that Davison and Oriol Servia were also candidates to fill in for Bourdais during his absence.
"We're going to miss having Sebastien in the #18 car, but we're very happy with our choice of a replacement for him this weekend," said team owner Dale Coyne.
"Esteban has a great open-wheel racing background, especially with his time in Formula 1 and GP2.
"I think he'll do well in an Indycar despite the learning curve and we all look forward to seeing what he'll do this weekend in Detroit."
Gutierrez, who was a Formula 1 driver for Sauber in 2013-2014 and for Haas in 2016, currently competes in the Formula E championship with Techeetah.
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