Adrián Fernández facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adrián Fernández |
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Fernández at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
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| Born | April 20, 1963 Mexico City, Mexico |
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| Previous series | |||||||
| 1981–1983, 1984–1986, 1987–1989, 1990–1991, 1992, 1993–2003, 2004–2005, 2006, 2007–2011 | Mexican Touring Car Racing, Formula Vee, Formula K, Benelux Formula Ford, British Formula Ford, Mexican Formula Three, Indy Lights, CART World Series, IndyCar Series, Rolex Sports Car Series, American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1983, 1991, 2009 | Mexican Formula Vee Champion, Mexican Formula Three Champion, American Le Mans Series LMP2 Class Champion | ||||||
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
| Years | 2007, 2010–2012 | ||||||
| Teams | Barazi-Epsilon, Aston Martin Racing | ||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (2007) | ||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 10 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 74th (2005) | ||||||
| First race | 2005 Telcel Motorola 200 (Mexico City) | ||||||
| Last race | 2008 Corona Mexico 200 (Mexico City) | ||||||
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Adrián Fernández Mier (born April 20, 1963) is a famous Mexican former professional race car driver. He was also a co-owner of the Fernandez Racing team.
Contents
Racing Career Highlights
Starting Out: Early Races
Adrián Fernández was born in Mexico City. He started his racing journey in Mexico when he was just eight years old. His first big car race was the "24 Hours of Mexico" in 1981. By 1982, at age 15, he began racing cars full-time.
From 1982 to 1984, Adrián competed in the Formula Vee Championship, winning the title twice in 1983 and 1984. He also raced in the Formula K Series from 1984 to 1986, always finishing among the top four drivers.
In 1987, he raced in Europe, taking part in the Benelux Formula Ford 1600 Championship and a race in the British RAC Formula Ford 1600 Championship. He continued in the British series until 1989. Then, he moved to the Mexican F3 Championship in 1990 and 1991, where he won the championship in 1991.
In 1992, Fernández moved to the United States to race in the Firestone Indy Lights Championship, which is now called Indy NXT. He finished third overall and won four races, which was a new record for a rookie driver. He was named "Indy Lights Rookie of the Year" and earned over two million dollars in prize money.
CART, IROC, and IRL Racing (1993–2004)
In 1993, Adrián Fernández joined the CART IndyCar World Series. He raced in a few events before competing in his first full season in 1994 with Galles Racing. He finished 13th in the standings and won several awards for being a top driver from outside Mexico. In 1995, he continued with Galles and had nine top-ten finishes, ending the season in 12th place.
In 1996, Fernández moved to Tasman Motorsports. He achieved his first ever CART victory in Toronto. This made him the first Mexican driver to win a CART event since Héctor Rebaque in 1982. He finished 12th in the season's points. The 1997 season was challenging for his team, but Adrián still managed three top-ten finishes.
Fernández joined Patrick Racing for the 1998 season and showed he could compete for the championship. He had 14 top-ten finishes, including eight top-five placements and two wins in Japan and Mid-Ohio. He finished 4th in the overall championship. He also earned his first pole position at Michigan. During this time, Adrián was named "Athlete of the Year" in Mexico.
In 1999, Adrián Fernández had his most successful season yet. He led the points standings early on. Despite breaking his hand in an accident at Belle Isle Park, which made him miss some races, he came back to win again in Motegi, Japan, and at the Marlboro 500 in Fontana, California.
Later in 1999, Fernández was chosen to race in the IROC series, where he competed against many top drivers from different racing types, including NASCAR stars like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt. Over his seven-year career in the series, he finished in the top-ten 41 times out of 80 starts.
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The year 2000 was Adrián Fernández's best season in the CART series. He nearly won the championship, even though he didn't start from the very front row in any race. He earned points in 17 of the 20 races, including two wins in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Australia. He also had three more podium finishes, ending the season in second place behind Gil de Ferran.
In 2001, he started his own team, Fernandez Racing, with Tom Anderson. His team's first victory came at Portland in 2003. This was special because it was the first time an owner-driver won a race since Bobby Rahal in 1992. In 2004, he moved his team to the Indy Racing League (IRL) series. He won three races and finished 4th overall in the 2004 IRL championship.
Busch Series (2005–06)
In 2005, Adrián Fernández drove a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the first NASCAR Busch Series race held outside the United States, in Mexico City. He led several laps in this race, which helped promote NASCAR to local fans. He later competed in four more Busch Series races for Hendrick Motorsports. In 2006, he raced in two Busch Series events and competed full-time in the Grand-Am series with his own team.
American Le Mans Series (2007–present)
In 2007, Fernández joined the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in the LMP2 class as part of an Acura factory team. His teammate was fellow Mexican driver Luis Díaz.
On October 10, 2009, Fernández and Luis Díaz won at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. This victory helped their Lowe's Fernandez Racing Acura ARX-01B team win both the drivers' championship and the teams' championship in the LMP2 category of the American Le Mans Series.
24 Hours of Le Mans
In 2007, Adrián Fernández made his debut at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He finished second in the LMP2 category with the Barazi-Epsilon team. This was the first time a Mexican driver stood on the podium at the Circuit de la Sarthe in many years, following the achievements of Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez in 1962 and 1968.
After three years, Fernández returned to Le Mans in 2010, racing in the LMP1 class with Aston Martin Racing. He finished fifth in his category (sixth overall) with a Lola-Aston Martin B09/60.
In 2011, Adrián's race was short. His Aston Martin Racing team had to leave the competition early due to engine problems after only two laps.
In the 2012 race, Fernández and the Aston Martin Racing Team achieved third place in the GTE-Pro class. Their Aston Martin Vantage 4.5 L-V8 completed 332 laps without major issues. The team also set the fastest lap in their category. Adrián had the honor of driving the final part of the race.
On September 12, 2012, Fernández announced that he would stop competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship at the end of the season. He also ended his relationship with the Aston Martin Racing team, which began in 2010. He decided to focus on races in the United States.
Sergio Pérez's Manager
On September 28, 2012, Formula One driver Sergio Pérez announced that Adrián Fernández would be his manager.
Turn 12 Adrián Fernández
In September 2016, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico honored Fernández by naming Turn 12 of the circuit after him.
BRM P153
In 2024, Adrián Fernández bought a very special Formula One car, the BRM P153/05. This car won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix with Mexican racing legend Pedro Rodríguez behind the wheel.
Personal Life
Fernández retired from motorsports in 2012. He has two children, Valentina and Niko Fernández. On October 21, 2017, he married his longtime girlfriend, Priscila Perales, who is a former beauty queen, author, and actress. They officially married on May 4, 2018, in Miami Beach, Florida. The couple welcomed their son, Adrián Fernández Jr., on October 29, 2020.
Images for kids
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Fernández at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
See also
In Spanish: Adrián Fernández (piloto) para niños
