Adrián Fernández Facts for Kids

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Fernández and the second or maternal family name is Mier.

Quick facts for kids

Adrián Fernández

Fernández at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City

Born

April 20, 1963 (age 62)
Mexico City, Mexico

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)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
	2

Adrián Fernández Mier (born April 20, 1963) is a Mexican former professional race car driver. He also co-owned the Fernandez Racing team.

Adrián Fernández's Racing Journey
Personal Life
Images for kids
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Adrián Fernández's Racing Journey

Starting Out in Racing

Adrián Fernández was born in Mexico City. He started his racing career in Mexico when he was just eight years old. His first car race was the "24 Hours of Mexico" in 1981.

In 1982, Adrián switched to racing cars full-time. He competed in the Formula Vee Championship from 1982 to 1984. He won the championship title in both 1983 and 1984. He also raced in the Formula K Series, finishing in the top four for three years.

Later, he raced in different Formula Ford series in Europe. In 1990 and 1991, he competed in the Mexican F3 Championship. He won that title in 1991.

Racing in the United States

In 1992, Adrián moved to the United States. He joined the Firestone Indy Lights Championship, which is now called Indy NXT. He finished third overall and won four races. This was a new record for a rookie driver. He was also named "Indy Lights Rookie of the Year."

Competing in CART and IRL

Fernández racing at Rockingham Motor Speedway in 2002.

In 1993, Adrián moved up to the CART IndyCar World Series. He raced part-time before competing in his first full season in 1994. In 1996, he got his first CART victory at Toronto. This made him the first Mexican driver to win a CART event since Héctor Rebaque in 1982.

Adrián joined Patrick Racing in 1998. He had a great season, finishing in the top ten 14 times. He won two races, one in Japan and another at Mid-Ohio. He finished 4th in the championship that year. He also earned his first pole position at Michigan. Sadly, a serious incident happened during a race at Michigan. Adrián was also named "Athlete of the Year" in Mexico.

In 1999, Adrián had another strong season. He led the championship points early on. Even after breaking his hand in an accident, he came back to win two more races. One was in Motegi, Japan, and the other was in Fontana, California.

In 2000, Adrián had his best season in the CART series. He finished second in the championship, just behind Gil de Ferran. He won two races, one in Brazil and another in Australia. He also had three other podium finishes.

In 2001, Adrián started his own team, Fernandez Racing. He became an owner-driver. His team's first victory came in 2003 at Portland. This was the first time an owner-driver won a race since 1992. In 2004, he moved his team to the Indy Racing League (IRL). He won three races and finished 4th overall in the 2004 IRL championship.

Racing in NASCAR

Adrián Fernández

In 2005, Adrián raced in the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series). He drove for Hendrick Motorsports in Mexico City. This was the first Busch Series race held outside the United States. He led some laps in that race. He competed in a few more Busch Series races in 2005 and 2006.

American Le Mans Series (ALMS)

Adrián Fernández in the Acura ARX-01B in 2008

In 2007, Adrián joined the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in the LMP2 class. He raced for an Acura factory team with his teammate Luis Díaz.

On October 10, 2009, Adrián and Luis won at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This victory helped them win both the drivers' championship and the teams' championship in the LMP2 category of the American Le Mans Series.

Racing at Le Mans

In 2007, Adrián made his first start in 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 Circuit de la Sarthe in many years. It reminded people of the achievements of Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez in the 1960s.

The Lola-Aston Martin B09/60

After a break, Adrián returned to Le Mans in 2010. He raced in the LMP1 class with Aston Martin Racing. He finished fifth in his category. In 2012, Adrián and the Aston Martin Racing Team earned third place in the GTE-Pro class. He drove the final part of the race.

In September 2012, Adrián announced he would stop racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He also ended his time with Aston Martin Racing. He decided to focus on racing in the United States.

After Racing

After retiring from motorsports in 2012, Adrián took on a new role. On September 28, 2012, Formula One driver Sergio Pérez announced that Adrián would be his manager.

In September 2016, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City honored Adrián. They named Turn 12 of the race track after him.

In 2024, Adrián bought a famous Formula One car, the BRM P153/05. This car won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix with Mexican racing legend Pedro Rodríguez driving it.

BRM P153 on display

Personal Life

Adrián Fernández retired from racing in 2012. He has two children, Valentina and Niko. He married Priscila Perales, a former beauty queen and author, on May 4, 2018, in Miami Beach, Florida. Their son, Adrián Fernández Jr., was born on October 29, 2020.