Pedro de la Rosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pedro de la Rosa
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De la Rosa at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
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| Born |
Pedro Martínez de la Rosa
24 February 1971 Barcelona, Spain
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| Spouse(s) |
Maria Reyes Ventós
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 3 |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Spanish |
| Active years | 1999–2002, 2005–2006, 2010–2012 |
| Teams | Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren, Sauber, HRT |
| Entries | 107 (104 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 35 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 1999 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Formula Nippon career | |
| Years active | 1996–1997 |
| Teams | Nova |
| Starts | 20 |
| Championships | 1 (1997) |
| Wins | 6 |
| Podiums | 11 |
| Poles | 5 |
| Fastest laps | 3 |
| JGTC career | |
| Years active | 1996–1997 |
| Teams | TOM'S |
| Starts | 12 |
| Championships | 1 (1997) |
| Wins | 2 |
| Podiums | 6 |
| Poles | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Best finish | 1st in 1997 (GT500) |
Pedro Martínez de la Rosa (born 24 February 1971) is a Spanish former racing driver. He also worked as a motorsport executive and TV commentator. Pedro competed in Formula One from 1999 to 2012.
He was born and grew up in Barcelona, Spain. Pedro started his racing journey with radio-controlled cars. He won many national and European titles. Later, he moved to karting when he was 17. Pedro raced in 107 Grand Prix events. He drove for teams like Arrows and McLaren. He even got on the podium once at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. Pedro was the first Spanish driver to win a championship in Japan. He won the Japanese Super Formula Championship and Super GT in 1997. After retiring from racing, he became a TV commentator. He also became an ambassador for Aston Martin in 2022.
Contents
Early Racing Days
Pedro de la Rosa was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Unlike many racers, he began with radio-controlled cars. He was very good at 1:8 off-road racing. He won three Spanish championships in a row from 1983 to 1985. He also won the European championship twice. In 1986, he was second in the world championship.
He started karting in 1988 at age 17. Then, he raced in Spanish Formula Fiat Uno. He became champion in 1989.
Becoming a Professional Racer
In 1990, Pedro won the Spanish Formula Ford 1600 championship. He also raced in British Formula Ford 1600. There, he finished on the podium twice. In 1991, he was fourth in the Spanish Formula Renault Championship. He had three podium finishes that year.
The next year, 1992, was great for him. He became both European and British Formula Renault champion. In 1995, he won the Japanese Formula Three series. He also finished third in the Macau Grand Prix. In 1997, he won the Formula Nippon championship. He also became the All Japan GT Champion with Michael Krumm.
Formula One Adventures (1999–2014)
Driving for Arrows (1999–2000)
In 1998, Pedro de la Rosa was a test driver for Jordan. The next year, he joined the Arrows team. He scored his first point in his very first race. This was the 1999 Australian Grand Prix. He often drove faster than his teammate, Toranosuke Takagi.
In 2000, he stayed with Arrows. His teammate was Jos Verstappen. Pedro scored two points that year. He finished sixth in the German and European Grands Prix. The Arrows team was even featured in a TV series. It was called 'Racing Arrows' and followed the team.
Racing with Jaguar (2001–2002)
Pedro then raced for Jaguar Racing for two years. He was teammates with Eddie Irvine. He scored 3 points in 2001. However, he didn't score any points in 2002. Jaguar ended his contract early. They replaced him with Antônio Pizzonia.
Time at McLaren (2003–2009)
After Jaguar, Pedro became a test driver for McLaren. He got to race at the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix. This happened because Juan Pablo Montoya was injured. Pedro finished fifth and set a lap record. He still holds that record today.
On July 11, 2006, Pedro became a full-time McLaren race driver. This was after Juan Pablo Montoya left. Pedro had some good results. So, he stayed in the seat for the rest of the season.
At the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, Pedro achieved his best result. He finished second, which was his only Formula One podium. He was behind Jenson Button. For the 2007 season, Lewis Hamilton became Fernando Alonso's teammate. Pedro went back to being a test driver for McLaren.
From 2005, he also worked as a race commentator. He did this for Spanish TV channel Telecinco. He returned to commenting in 2007.
In 2008, Pedro was chosen as the new chairman. This was for the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. This group represents Formula One drivers. He was a popular choice among other drivers. He continued as a test driver for McLaren in 2009.
Racing for Sauber (2010–2011)
In 2010, Pedro drove for the Sauber team. His teammate was Kamui Kobayashi. Pedro finished seven of the thirteen races he started. He scored six points at the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix. These were his last points in Formula One.
Sauber replaced him with Nick Heidfeld after the Italian Grand Prix. Pedro then became a test driver for Pirelli. Pirelli was preparing to return to Formula One in 2011. In 2011, Pedro raced for Sauber again. He filled in for Sergio Pérez at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix. This was after Pérez had an accident. Pedro finished 12th in that race.
Return to McLaren (2011)
On March 9, 2011, McLaren announced something exciting. Pedro de la Rosa had returned to their team. He became their test and reserve driver again.
Driving for HRT (2012)
On November 21, 2011, Pedro signed a two-year contract. He would race for HRT F1. His teammate was Narain Karthikeyan. They both struggled to qualify for the first race in Australia. At the next race in Malaysia, he finished 22nd.
Pedro often qualified ahead of Karthikeyan. He finished 21st in China. In Bahrain, he finished 20th. He completed his home race in Spain for the first time since 1999. He finished 19th. However, he had to retire from the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix. This was due to a crash with Pastor Maldonado. Pedro had a contract to race for HRT in 2013. He was also going to become the team principal in 2014. But the team closed down at the end of 2012. So, Pedro couldn't take either role.
Working with Ferrari (2013–2014)
On January 16, Ferrari announced a new role for Pedro. He was hired to help with their simulator. This meant he would help test new car designs. On January 24, Ferrari said Pedro would share testing duties. He would test their 2013 car, the F138. He did this with Felipe Massa.
Other Cool Things Pedro Did
Team Management
In 2005, Pedro de la Rosa started a racing team. It's called Drivex. He started it with Miguel Ángel de Castro. The team has been very successful. They won the 2019 F4 Spanish Championship. They won both the teams' and drivers' titles. Pedro also worked as a director for Techeetah. This was a team in Formula E during the 2018–19 season. They won the Formula E Teams' Championship.
Broadcasting Career
Pedro de la Rosa has also worked as a TV commentator. He has covered Formula One races. You can hear his comments on channels like La Sexta and DAZN.
Pedro's Family Life
Pedro de la Rosa has one daughter. His nephew, Bruno del Pino, is also a racing driver. Bruno has even driven for Pedro's Drivex team.
Images for kids
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De la Rosa at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
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De la Rosa driving for Arrows at the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix
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De la Rosa driving for Jaguar at the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix
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De la Rosa at the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix, as a third driver
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De la Rosa at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix
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De la Rosa testing for McLaren at the Circuit de Catalunya in 2008
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De la Rosa driving for Sauber at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
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De la Rosa driving for HRT at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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De la Rosa at the 2012 US Grand Prix
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De la Rosa at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed
See also
In Spanish: Pedro de la Rosa para niños
