When Sebastien Bourdais became hospitalized during Indianapolis 500 qualifying, team owner Dale Coyne drafted in an unknown Australian driver for the race. The 30-year-old James Davison was such a mystery to most of the Indy 500 viewing public, that I wrote an introduction for him prior to race day. However Davison was not a stranger to Coyne or the team. He raced for them on three separate occasions, including in the 2015 Indy 500.
As a substitute for Bourdais, Davison performed admirably starting last, including leading a couple of laps of the Greatest Spectacle In Racing. Given his performance and past history with the team, imagine my surprise when it was announced that he was a candidate to fill Bourdais’ seat and ex-Formula 1 and then-Formula E driver Esteban Gutierrez was the leading candidate.
The reason, Gutierrez is friends with Adrian Fernandez who also serves as his mentor; and Fernandez is tight with Coyne. The story in Autoweek goes, Fernandez convinced Coyne to give his fellow countryman Bourdais’ seat by touting the 25-year-old’s resumé. Obviously Coyne agreed citing Gutierrez’s experience in GP2, his championship win in GP3. All the while dismissing his F1 record, saying that it was ‘hard to read’. Fast forward to the weekend, and Gutierrez was in the #18 practicing for back-to-back races in Detroit.
In both Detroit races Gutierrez qualified P19, and finished P19 in Race 1 and P14 in Race 2. In Race 2, he managed to stay on the lead lap or avoid mechanical problems to avoid finished further down. Detroit, more specifically Belle Isle, is a temporary street course, that is short, tight, and bumpy. If Coyne cites the Mexican’s GP2, GP3 records as justification for picking him over Davison, and with Gutierrez’s recent experience in Formula E—where he drove on temporary, short, tight street circuits he should’ve performed better than near last and mid-pack.
Then there is the fact that Gutierrez has zero experience on ovals. To sign a driver that one intends to use on road courses and ovals, but one who doesn’t have any experience with the latter is not only reckless, it’s dangerous. I mentioned that for the Indy 500, Fernando Alonso had two weeks of practice time. Including his private test just after the Russian Grand Prix. Coyne is asking IndyCar Series officials for the same exemption for Gutierrez at Texas Motor Speedway. It has been denied.
What that means is another driver will drive for Coyne in Texas. The possible drivers are, Oriol Servia, Stefan Wilson, and Davison. Now there’s a familiar name, but I will get to that shortly.
With the Series’ denial of a Gutierrez private test, his mentor went on record with Motorsport.com saying that Gutierrez shouldn’t be racing at Texas anyway. That without proper testing one can’t just do an oval, especially Texas.
That begs the question, if not now then when? Gutierrez’s mid-season switch to IndyCar is a case of sink or swim. Since Gutierrez hopes the Coyne drive will lead to a full-time drive; what better way to prove your mettle than at Texas? Instead Gutierrez wants to be given his drive, rather than earning it. If Gutierrez starts his oval experience at Iowa, a 0.894-mile short oval, in my opinion will be an easier race, but a much tougher sell to other teams that you are a competitor and are ready for any challenge.
If Gutierrez is a competitor, he should grab the chance to show his skill at Texas, as Alonso did at Indy. But then again, if he is a competitor he wouldn’t be jumping ship, three races into his Formula E career.
That brings me back to Davison’s name being floated as a replacement. Had Coyne chosen to stay with Davison since the Indy 500, there wouldn’t be a shift of drivers to and from different series and the asking for private tests. Davison was the “plug and play” candidate, he has experience on road courses, the Indy 500/ovals, and he is familiar with the team. Instead Coyne went with the suggestion of a friend and now faces more driver uncertainty.
