At 19, he became the then-third-youngest (now ninth youngest) Formula One driver in history when he landed his seat alongside Shinji Nakano, but left the championship at the end of the season.

Esteban Eduardo Tuero was born at a time when the likes of Nelson Piquet and Alain Prost were just beginning their careers.

In the non-championship Monaco event, he started on the front row alongside future F1 driver Jarno Trulli, battling with him before eventually punting him at the hairpin on Lap 17.

His continuing test role with Minardi impressed the team to the extent that the Italian outfit gave him a race seat for the 1998 season, alongside the Japanese driver Shinji Nakano.

Although Minardi had contracted him to drive an M198, alongside Japan's Shinji Nakano, he failed to meet all Super License requirements.

"[1] Tuero was eventually awarded his license by the FIA and upon starting the season at 19 years of age, he became the third-youngest ever Formula One driver at the time.

[2] Tuero answered his doubters by qualifying an impressive 17th in Australia, ahead of teammate Nakano and the likes of 1996 Monaco Grand Prix winner Olivier Panis.

Tuero lasted 13 laps in Hungary, and, though he was not involved in the multi-car crash at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, still retired prior to half-distance.

[3][failed verification] In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Ferrari's Michael Schumacher who was challenging McLaren's Mika Häkkinen for the Drivers' Championship, passed the accident spot where carbon fibre debris were littering the race track.

Schumacher then suffered a catastrophic rear tyre failure forcing him to retire and thus handing Häkkinen his first World Drivers' Championship.

The restructured Minardi squad headed toward the 1999 season with plans to run Tuero once more, this time alongside Spaniard Marc Gene.

[4] In 1999, he joined the Argentinian TC2000 touring car racing series, where he struggled to make an impact by finishing outside the top ten overall.