BMW Sauber will take Mexican racer Esteban Gutierrez under their wing, inviting the 18-year old to join their driver development programme.

Having impressed Sauber at last year's young drivers' test in Jerez, Gutierrez will attend a number of grand prix throughout the 2010 season to observe the team in the pits and will partake in the same training regime as Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi, to prepare him for a formula one drive in the coming years.

"We view this link-up as a kind of sponsorship arrangement," said team boss Peter Sauber.

"Nowadays you can only give young drivers a very limited amount of help in gaining a foothold in F1.

"With the limited number of testing opportunities, it is important for the teams to have the race drivers in the cars during those sessions.

"However, the world of F1 is so complex that you can learn a great deal just by watching and listening to what's going on.

"That's the opportunity we're giving Esteban. And we will also help him to get himself in F1-trim physically."

Gutièrrez raced in the formula three Euroseries in 2009 but makes the switch to the new GP3 championship in 2010, which will run alongside F1 as part of its support package.

The Mexican said he is delighted to have the support of the BMW Sauber team and he hopes the opportunity of working with the Hinwii-based outfit will eventually lead to an F1 drive.

"I felt very comfortable at the young driver test at Jerez in December and enjoyed every second, but I also saw that I still have a lot to learn before I'm ready to be a good F1 driver," said Gutierrez.

"Experience behind the wheel is, of course, the most important thing, but I'm under no illusions. I'm happy that the BMW Sauber F1 team has shown so much confidence in me by giving me the chance to look behind the scenes and learn about the sport.

"And at the same time, I will be training hard with an instructor, which will definitely help me achieve my goals in the GP3 series."
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