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Since joining the team in February, we’ve already learned that Cristina Gutiérrez is a fully qualified practicing dentist as well as a driver, so that got us thinking, what else is there to know about our NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team driver?

We caught up with the Spaniard ahead of her birthday and asked her a series of quickfire questions, from her choice of birthday cake to her favourite hobbies and holiday destinations. Here’s what we learned…

Where did you grow up?  

I was born in Burgos, which is a little city in the north of Spain. I had a very fun childhood because when I was little, my father brought me a very small motorbike and I was able to learn, very quickly, that this was my passion. I was lucky that my father was always very open with me and very happy for me to follow this path.

What is your dream birthday cake? 

It would be a very difficult birthday cake to make, but I want a cake that looks like the Extreme E car, more or less the same size, for everybody to share.

What is your favourite hobby away from the track?

When I was very little, I started to play golf, so that would be one of them. I also enjoy skiing and playing padel. Padel started in Mexico, I believe, and then came across to my home country of Spain and has now become very popular everywhere.

Who are your best friends in racing? 

Sébastien Loeb is one of my best friends. I also get on well with Emma [Gilmour] because we have shared a lot of moments, and my teammate, Mattias Ekström, who I have known for a long time. 

Do you have a favourite cheat meal? 

French fries. Not very healthy, but I love to eat them.

If you weren't a racing driver, what would be your dream career?

Most likely my other career, dentistry. My father is a dentist, and when I was little, he was my role model, and so I wanted to be a dentist like him. But I also wanted to be a coast guard and a helicopter pilot, I always had big dreams like this, and dentistry felt like the most realistic. So, when I was 18 years old, I started to study and I went to university.

I never thought that I could be a professional racing driver, and that’s why I ended up doing both careers at the same time.

What is the best thing about being a racing driver?

For me, the best thing is that we get to travel a lot and that I am doing what I have wanted to do since I was very little.

When you were growing up, which racing drivers did you look up to and admire? 

I always admired Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso when they were competing against each other at the same time. I enjoyed the passion they showed in Formula 1 and that is part of why I started to dream about being a driver.

I have good memories of watching them compete against each other and seeing Fernando take his first Formula 1 World Championship.

What is your career highlight?

Up to now, it would be either winning Extreme E in 2022 with Sébastien Loeb, or winning the Dakar Rally. Both were very special, they would be my highlights.

What is your ideal holiday destination?

I always try and go to Lanzarote because I have a lot of friends there. It is also very good for training, especially with a bicycle. You can play many sports there, you can play golf, and you can surf as well, because the weather is very nice all of the year, so it is good for a holiday and for training.

Is there anything that fans wouldn't know about you? 

I am left-handed.