Gutierrez, who was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, was confirmed in September as a test and reserve driver for the Swiss Formula One team Sauber for next year.

The 19-year-old won five of 16 GP3 races last season en route to an inaugural series championship.

“After our title in the GP3 Series, this is the logical next step to make with Esteban and I’m delighted our collaboration will bring him to the best F1 feeder series, the GP2 Championship,” ART boss Frederic Vasseur said.

“The GP2 Series is a new exciting challenge with long races and pit stops as well as tire management,” Gutierrez said. “There is a lot of new parameters that I will have to learn to cope with, but with Lotus ART I am in the best school possible.”

As plans for a U.S. Grand Prix in Austin beginning in 2012 move forward, Mexico’s presence in the sport continues to grow.

Current Mexican GP2 driver Sergio Perez has been confirmed as a race driver for Sauber next season. Perez is backed by Mexican communications giant Telmex, which will be Sauber’s title sponsor next year.

Both Perez and Gutierrez will participate in the young drivers test following this weekend’s F1 season-finale in Abu Dhabi.