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 on February 24, 1971) is a Spanish former racing driver. He also worked as a motorsport executive and a sports broadcaster. Pedro competed in Formula One between 1999 and 2012.
Before Formula One, he was very successful in Japanese motorsport. He won both the Formula Nippon Championship and the All-Japan GT Championship in 1997. He was the first Spanish driver to win a national open-wheel championship in Japan.
Pedro was born and grew up in Barcelona, Spain. He started his racing journey with radio-controlled cars. He won many national and European titles before he started karting at age 17. In Formula One, he raced in 107 Grand Prix events. He drove for teams like Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren, Sauber, and HRT.
He made his Formula One debut on March 7, 1999. He even scored a point in his very first race! Overall, he earned 35 championship points. This included a fantastic second-place finish at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.
After he stopped racing, Pedro became a commentator for TV. He also started a company called Drivex in 2005. He worked as a director for the Techeetah team in Formula E during the 2018–19 season. His team won the championship that year. Since 2022, he has been an ambassador for Aston Martin.
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Early Racing Days
Pedro de la Rosa was born in Barcelona, Spain. Unlike most race car drivers, he started his career with radio-controlled cars. He was really good at it! He won three Spanish championships in a row from 1983 to 1985. He also won the European radio-controlled off-road championship twice. He was even second in the world championship in 1986.
He only started karting in 1988 when he was 17 years old. He then joined the Spanish Formula Fiat Uno series and 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 and finished on the podium twice. In 1991, he came in fourth place in the Spanish Formula Renault Championship.
The next year, 1992, was a great one for him. He became both the 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 became champion in both Formula Nippon and the All Japan GT Championship. He won the All Japan GT Championship with his teammate Michael Krumm.
Formula One (1999–2014)
Racing for Arrows (1999–2000)
In 1998, Pedro de la Rosa worked as a test driver for the Jordan team. The next year, he joined the Arrows team. He had a great start, scoring one championship point in his very first race, the 1999 Australian Grand Prix. He often drove faster than his teammate, Toranosuke Takagi.
In 2000, he stayed with Arrows and raced alongside Jos Verstappen. He scored two more points that year. He finished sixth in the German Grand Prix and the European Grand Prix. The Arrows team was even featured in a 13-part TV series called 'Racing Arrows' in 2001. This show followed the team and drivers throughout the 2000 season.
Time with Jaguar (2001–2002)
Pedro raced for the Jaguar Racing team for two years. His teammate was Eddie Irvine. He scored 3 points in 2001, but no points in 2002. At the end of the 2002 season, Jaguar decided to replace him with Antônio Pizzonia.
Years with McLaren (2003–2009)
After leaving Jaguar, Pedro became a test driver for McLaren. He got a chance to race at the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix. This happened because Juan Pablo Montoya had injured his shoulder. Pedro finished fifth in that race and even set a lap record!
On July 11, 2006, it was announced that Pedro would take over the second McLaren race seat. This happened after Juan Pablo Montoya left to race in NASCAR. Pedro did well in his races, so he stayed in the seat for the rest of the season.
At the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, Pedro achieved his first and only Formula One podium finish. He came in second place, right behind Jenson Button. For the 2007 season, Lewis Hamilton became Fernando Alonso's teammate. Pedro continued his important role as the team's test driver.
From 2005, he also worked as a race commentator for a Spanish TV channel. He returned to this role in 2007. Pedro was also involved in a big event called the espionage controversy. This was about his team and their rivals, Ferrari. Because of information from Pedro and Fernando Alonso, McLaren was removed from the 2007 Constructors' Championship. They also had to pay a large fine.
Before the 2008 Australian Grand Prix, Pedro was chosen as the new chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. This is a group that represents the F1 drivers. He was the top choice for the role. He stayed at McLaren in 2009. By January 2010, he was one of the most experienced test drivers ever. He later stepped down from his role as chairman when he joined Sauber in 2010.
Driving for Sauber (2010–2011)
In 2010, Pedro de la Rosa raced for the Sauber team, which had just returned to Formula One. His teammate was the Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi.
Pedro finished seven of the thirteen races he started in 2010. He earned six points by finishing seventh at the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix. These were the last points he scored in his Formula One career. He was replaced by Nick Heidfeld at Sauber after the Italian Grand Prix. Pedro then became a test driver for Pirelli, helping them prepare for their return to Formula One in 2011.
In 2011, Pedro raced for Sauber again at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix. This happened because Sergio Pérez had an accident in Monaco and couldn't race. Pedro finished 12th in the race.
Back with McLaren (2011)
On March 9, 2011, McLaren announced that Pedro de la Rosa had returned to their team. He took on the role of their test and reserve driver.
Racing for HRT (2012)
On November 21, 2011, it was announced that Pedro de la Rosa had signed a two-year contract with the HRT F1 team. His teammate was Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan.
Both drivers struggled to qualify for the first race of the 2012 season in Australia. Pedro only managed to complete seven timed laps. At the next race in Malaysia, he qualified and finished 22nd. He was later moved up to 21st place.
Pedro qualified ahead of Karthikeyan again in China and finished 21st. In Bahrain, he finished 20th. He completed his home race in Spain for the first time since 1999, finishing 19th. However, he could not finish the Monaco Grand Prix due to a crash.
Pedro had a contract to race for HRT in 2013. He was also supposed to become the team principal in 2014. But the team closed down at the end of the 2012 season. This meant Pedro could not take on either role.
Working with Ferrari (2013–2014)
On January 16, 2013, Ferrari announced that Pedro de la Rosa had joined their team. He worked in a special role, helping with their racing simulator. This helped the team develop their cars.
On January 24, Ferrari said that Pedro would share testing duties for their 2013 car, the F138. He tested the car with Felipe Massa at the first test of the season in Jerez.
Other Activities
Team Management
In 2005, Pedro de la Rosa started a racing team called Drivex with Miguel Ángel de Castro. This team has been very successful. One of their biggest achievements was winning the 2019 F4 Spanish Championship for both teams and drivers. The driver was Franco Colapinto, who is now a reserve driver for the Alpine Formula One team.
Pedro also worked as the technical and sporting director for the Techeetah team in Formula E. This was during the 2018–19 season. The team won the Formula E Teams' Championship that year.
In October 2022, Pedro de la Rosa became an ambassador for the Aston Martin Formula One Team.
Broadcasting Career
Pedro de la Rosa has also worked as a sports analyst for Formula One races. He has appeared on several Spanish TV channels, including La Sexta, Telecinco, Movistar, and currently DAZN.
Personal 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
