Commentary

Formula 1

Sirotkin-Gutierrez lineup could work - Kaltenborn

Team boss Kaltenborn said Sauber is yet to decide who Sirotkin's teammate will be, but is approaching the decision with an open mind.

GMM

Edited: Oct 2, 2013, 12:15 PM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber C32

Oct.2 (GMM) Monisha Kaltenborn insists Sauber would not be afraid to pair two young drivers together in 2014.

The struggling Swiss team is almost resigned to losing the highly rated Nico Hulkenberg to a more competitive outfit like McLaren, Lotus or even Force India.

As long as he gets a F1 super license, the 18-year-old Russian Sergey Sirotkin will replace Hulkenberg, as he comes with Sauber's Russian rescue deal.

Some, however, have expressed doubts that Sirotkin should be paired with current Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez, a 22-year-old rookie who has often struggled in 2013.

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber C32

Photo by: XPB Images

"Hulkenberg is likely to leave," former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov said this week, "and they are not too happy with Gutierrez."

Sirotkin, however, told Russia's Championat that Petrov's claims are not true.

"As far as I know," he said, "inside the team they are very happy with him."

But when asked if he would prefer a more experienced teammate in 2014, Sirotkin answered: "It's hard to say.

"Very often someone who you do not expect actually goes very well, and sometimes someone with a big name does not cause much excitement," he said.

"I'm ready for any option, because I know what job I have to do."

Team boss Kaltenborn said Sauber is yet to decide who Sirotkin's teammate will be, but is approaching the decision with an open mind.

"If you look at the history of our team," she said, "we often had two young and not very experienced drivers, and often we did some of our best seasons.

"It is always good to have a certain mix of qualities, but our team has vast experience of working with young drivers," added Kaltenborn.

Asked specifically if a Sirotkin-Gutierrez lineup could work, she insisted: "We would not have any reason to worry about it, no."

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Webber says 2013 struggle due to tyres

Next article Webber tells F1 to ensure 'quality'

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

Mercedes fined for George Russell skipping F1 Mexico GP media duties

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Mexican GP

19 min

Mercedes fined for George Russell skipping F1 Mexico GP media duties

Lewis Hamilton slams Charles Leclerc for "do or die" attitude after Mexico GP clash

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Mexican GP

1 h

Lewis Hamilton slams Charles Leclerc for "do or die" attitude after Mexico GP clash

Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett blast Carson Hocevar: "That's not racing"

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Martinsville II

1 h

Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett blast Carson Hocevar: "That's not racing"

Five things we learned from MotoGP's steamy Malaysian Grand Prix

MotoGP

Malaysian GP

Five things we learned from MotoGP's steamy Malaysian Grand Prix

Feature

Discover prime content

Lewis Hamilton needs “serious talks” with himself and his team-mate

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Stuart Codling

Lewis Hamilton needs “serious talks” with himself and his team-mate

How Ferrari's loss became Max Verstappen's gain at F1's Mexico GP

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

How Ferrari's loss became Max Verstappen's gain at F1's Mexico GP

The seven moments that defined Kimi Antonelli's F1 title win in 2026

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

The seven moments that defined Kimi Antonelli's F1 title win in 2026

Why lap times in Mexico have been so much closer to the previous F1 era

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Stuart Codling

Why lap times in Mexico have been so much closer to the previous F1 era

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts