Ferrari has announced that Esteban Gutierrez is to join the team as test and reserve driver.

After two years with Sauber, during which time his best result was 7th (Japan) in 2013, the youngster found himself out of a job when the Swiss team opted for an all-new line-up in 2015.

His new appointment at Maranello begins as of January 2015.

"While confirming our full confidence in a formidable race driver pairing, made up of four times World Champion Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, a past champion with Ferrari, I am pleased to welcome Esteban," said the Scuderia's Director General and Team Principal, Maurizio Arrivabene. "We are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to Esteban who, although young, has plenty of experience relating to the new generation of F1 cars. I am sure that, with his experience, he will make an important contribution to the development work of the team in the simulator. Welcoming Esteban also means opening the gates of Ferrari to a driver from Mexico, a country where the Scuderia still has a lot of fans, just as was the case fifty years ago in the days of the Rodriguez brothers."

"It is an honour to become part of the Scuderia Ferrari family, a team with such an exceptional history," said Gutierrez. "It is for me the beginning of a new path for my future and I'm going to do my utmost to contribute to the achievement of the targets set by the Scuderia. I want to thank everybody for their belief in my potential; this will bring a great opportunity for me to develop further and get to the top in the near future. With all my passion and dedication, I'm now looking forward to the start of this new venture."