Sergio Perez has revealed that fellow countryman Esteban Gutierrez will replace him at Sauber, amid strong speculation as to who will partner Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber next season. This slightly unorthodox confirmation will likely leave Kamui Kobayashi without a drive next season, and will see a second Mexican driver enter the sport.
This announcement by Sergio Perez comes after the Swiss outfit announced they would confirm the second driver alongside Hulkenberg by the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend, however it seems Sergio Perez has let slip about Sauber’s future plans. After it was confirmed that Perez would replace Lewis Hamilton at McLaren next season, speculation instantly gathered strong momentum that the Mexican would be replaced by fellow countryman Esteban Gutierrez. After Nico Hulkenberg was confirmed at the team, current driver Kamui Kobayashi’s future in the sport began to look bleak.
However, it now seems that Kamui Kobayashi’s time in Formula 1 is up after Esteban Gutierrez was as good as confirmed as his successor. The 21-year-old Mexican was the inaugural GP3 Champion in 2010, and has since enjoyed a successful career in GP2 with Lotus GP, which has seen the rising star take four victories over the course of the last two seasons. Gutierrez has long been associated with Sauber, after becoming the teams test and reserve driver in 2009.
Sergio Perez’s mistake of prematurely announcing his successor came as the Mexican driver prepared for his final race with the outfit at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, when he was plagued with questions about the vacancy at the team by Spanish media at the Interlagos circuit. After announcing Esteban Gutierrez as Hulkenberg’s 2013 team-mate, he then laughed and added “we are waiting for the announcement.”
"The car will be strong because the rules don’t change much, and the team have a good experienced driver in Nico [Hulkenberg] and he will have a strong team-mate in Esteban [Gutierrez]," explained Sergio Perez, amid preparations for this weekend’s season-finale at Sao Paulo.
Prior to Sergio Perez’s statement on Sauber’s 2013 plans, Kamui Kobayashi confirmed his continuation in the sport looks uncertain, as he continues to search for a sponsor for next season. The Japanese driver jokingly stated that a victory this weekend would greatly assist his plight in retaining his drive with Sauber, but admitted a position with a top team in 2014 might well become his main priority.
"My future? Well, if I could win it would be fantastic," quipped Kamui Kobayashi. “This is Formula 1. I need to work it out. Overall I think there is a bigger chance of a top team in 2014. We’ll see. I’m working very hard to get a sponsor. At the moment I think it’s very difficult to say anything about the future," he added. "If I say too much there is no point for them to announce anything. I don’t know what they want to announce."
Despite Kamui Kobayashi remaining coy on his future in Formula 1, team-mate Sergio Perez seems to have spilt the beans on the current affairs at Sauber. Both drivers will be hoping to remain focused for the final race of the season, as they continue to reel in Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship.
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