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via Reuters

via Reuters

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican Esteban Gutierrez will race for the new U.S.-owned Haas F1 team next season after being officially appointed on Friday.

Hass said the 24-year-old Ferrari reserve driver, who raced for Sauber in 2013 and 2014, will join Frenchman Romain Grosjean in the Ferrari-powered team that makes its debut in 2016.

The news was entirely expected and seen as Formula One’s worst-kept secret.

“This is an excellent opportunity that builds on my time with Ferrari and I will make the most of it,” Gutierrez said after being presented at Mexico City’s Soumaya Museum.

“Gene Haas believes in me and I believe in how he’s going about competing in Formula One. To have a race seat in a competitive car with Ferrari power is very special, and I appreciate the faith he has in me.”

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Peter Rutherford)