As Sergio Pérez was taken ill in India on Thursday, Esteban Gutiérrez stepped into the Sauber to enjoy a full practice session on Friday morning. The Mexican reserve driver, who could be racing with the Swiss team next year, thoroughly enjoying the outing.
“It was a great experience to step in for Sergio this morning,” said the inaugural GP3 Champion of 2010. “For me it was the first time I have been at the wheel of the C31, as I have only done straight-line testing so far. I didn’t know the track, which also made it an even more interesting session. I have worked very closely with the team all season, listening to the radio and attending the engineers’ meetings.
“Today I really enjoyed seeing from the inside of the cockpit what I had only seen from the outside. It was also very interesting to be part of an official Formula 1 event for the first time. It is obviously different to testing and it is challenging to stay focused. Now Sergio will be taking over again but, in case anything should happen, I feel ready to get into the car again.”
Should he not be drafted in as a sudden replacement again, Gutiérrez will next drive the car when the three-day Young Driver test is staged in Abu Dhabi next month.
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  S. Vettel | Red Bull | 01:26.221 | 35 |
| 2. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 01:26.339 | 33 |
| 3. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 01:26.820 | 34 |
| 4. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 01:27.022 | 38 |
| 5. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | 01:27.030 | 40 |
| 6. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 01:27.131 | 38 |
| 7. | J. Button | McLaren | 01:27.182 | 24 |
| 8. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 01:27.233 | 37 |
| 9. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 01:27.397 | 36 |
| 10. | B. Senna | Williams | 01:27.738 | 36 |
| Full results | ||||
| Esteban Gutiérrez | |||
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| More Esteban Gutiérrez photos | |||
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