Dale Coyne Racing will need to search for another driver for the No. 18 machine, with Esteban Gutiérrez unable to participate in this weekend’s round at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Regular racer Sébastien Bourdais, victor of the opening 2017 race at St. Petersburg, sustained hip and pelvic injuries in a high-speed crash during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, ruling him out of competition.
Bourdais, who has targeted a return before the end of the season, was replaced for the prestigious event by James Davison, before ex-F1 racer Esteban Gutiérrez stepped in for the double-header in Detroit.
Gutiérrez, having never driven in IndyCar before, claimed 19th in the opening race and 14th in the second encounter around the streets of Belle Isle.
The Mexican entered Detroit facing clashing Formula E commitments across June and July, but Techeetah confirmed that Stéphane Sarrazin would replace him in the electric single-seater series for the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign.
However, as a rookie, Gutiérrez is required to conduct private running on an oval before he is permitted to take part in such an event.
Due to time limitations, and IndyCar’s testing restrictions, this is not possible prior to the upcoming round at the Texas Motor Speedway.
“It’s not out of the question that he will do other races, [he] just can't do Texas,” his Dale Coyne team confirmed on social media.
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