Gutierrez: Ferrari will make me a better driver

Esteban Gutierrez says the emotions of wearing the world famous Ferrari racing suit will push him to be a better driver for the upcoming F1 season.

The Mexican driver has been announced as Ferrari's third driver after losing his race seat at Sauber after a two-year spell with the Swiss team. 2015 marks the first season in the 23-year old's racing career that he won't be competing and admitted it will take a while to get used to.

"It will be a new experience for me to be the test and reserve driver," Gutierrez said. "But it has been great to be in the factory working with the team and wearing the red colours. It gives you a very special emotional status which pushes you to do great things around here."

Gutierrez also confirmed he will still be attending every F1 grand prix this season and will ready to stand in for either Kimi Raikkonen or new driver Sebastian Vettel if needed.

"I will be following all races and pre-season testing," he confirmed. "I'm aware that if special circumstances come up, I need to be ready and that is my main focus. I'm preparing myself physically as well as getting to know the team, the mentality and all the different technical aspects. This is very important to know so I can understand the whole picture and be as prepared as possible."

Ferrari launched its new F1 car for 2015, the SF15-T, ahead of the first official F1 test which begins on Sunday in Jerez. The Italian manufacturer suffered a difficult 2014 as it struggled to get to grips with the new regulations and the introduction of the V6 Hybrid power units, but Gutierrez is hopeful his new team can rediscover its race pace and return to the front of the F1 grid.

"I think this season is a transition phase," he said. "The team is working for short-term success. After a difficult year, you want to move things forward and have an improvement. So we are very enthusiastic to see the improvement when we come to the track [in Jerez]."