Gutierrez to make debut in Detroit

Esteban Gutierrez will make his IndyCar debut this weekend for Dale Coyne Racing in Detroit after he was confirmed as Sebastian Bourdais' replacement for this weekend's event. The Mexican spent three seasons in Formula 1, racing for Sauber and Haas.

He also made his Formula E debut earlier this year in Mexico, replacing Ma Qing Hua at Techeetah. The need for a new driver at Dale Coyne Racing comes after Bourdais' monstrous crash during qualifying for the Indy 500 which has put him out of action for the rest of the year.

"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 Verizon 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."

Coyne said that they are sad to see Bourdais miss out, but are delighted with their choice for his replacement. He believes that Gutierrez will impress despite learning as he goes along. 

"We’re going to miss having Sebastien in the No. 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 One and the GP2 series. I think he’ll do well in an Indy car despite the learning curve and we all look forward to seeing what he’ll do this weekend in Detroit."

Fergal Walsh