Pedro de la Rosa: The Spanish Champion Formula One Driver
The Spanish sports fanatic made a rather belated debut onto the kart racing arena at the age of seventeen after having sealed two European titles in the radio-controlled car racing competitions. He soon attracted the attention of the Spanish Automobile Federation, who instantly agreed to offer him patronage and enlisted de la Rosa’s services for their 1988 single-seater scholarship project named “Ofensiva Uno”.
The young Spaniard proved himself to his mentors by winning the 1989 Spanish Formula Fiat Uno series after seizing two victories and three podium positions out of seven runs. More was to come from de la Rosa the following season when he made a transition to the Spanish Formula Ford 1600 championship and clinched eight wins and a podium standing to take the title. In 1991, the Spaniard was elevated to the challenging Spanish Formula Renault series and concluded the year with a fourth position. Bursting with ambition, de la Rosa travelled to the UK in 1992 to participate in the British Formula Renault championship. The endeavour proved fruitful and de la Rosa was able to seal three victories on the way to the title, and if that was not enough, he also seized the European Renault series title the same season.
In 1993, de la Rosa embarked on a move to British Formula Three, where he grabbed three podium standings and ended the season with a sixth position. 1994 was less generous to the Spaniard who then journeyed to Japan in 1995 to participate in the country’s Formula Three Series. His fortunes brightened with the move to Asia and he was able to win eight races out of nine and had the title to his name even before the season had ended. The same year de la Rosa also took the third position at the Macau Grand Prix.
The Spaniard decided to prolong his sojourn to Japan for the 1996 season to participate in the Formula Nippon championship. It was over here that his six victories and one second place finish ensured de la Rosa’s stay for the following season where he would proceed to clinch his fifth single-seater trophy. The budding driver also won the All-Japan GT championship and not surprisingly, his stunning form meant won him the attention of several Formula One teams.
De la Rosa made his initiation into the Formula One world in 1998 with the Jordon squad and in 1999, he participated in his first Grand Prix at the Australian event with Arrows where his determination steered his relatively incompetent machine to score meaningful points and grab the sixth position. Despite his dry run for the remaining 1998 season, the Spaniard’s earlier performances ensured his race drive for the following year. In 2000 de la Rosa snatched two more sixth-place standings with his team in Nurburgring and Hockenheim before making a switch to Jaguar for the 2001 season where he managed to score crucial points in both Italy and Canada. The 2002 competitive calendar was less generous to the Spaniard who found himself persistently overshadowed by teammate Eddie Irvin who was able to score eight points and a podium position.
Unable to secure a seat with Jaguar for 2003, de la Rosa agreed to join McLaren as a test driver. It was position the Spaniard would maintain in the British-based squad for the coming seven seasons, and occasionally the team summoned him to compete; de la Rosa raced for McLaren in nine Grand Prixs and gave his best on each occasion. In spite of his inability to make it to the first choice team, the Spaniard remained a crucial member of the McLaren test drive squad and also served as president of the Grand Prix Driver’s Association from 2007-08. The turbulent circumstances that ushered Formula One into the 2010 season aided de la Rosa’s transfer to BMW Sauber where he is currently partnered with the newcomer Kamui Kobayashi.
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