Photo Credit: Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
Pedro de la Rosa is more than a former Formula 1 driver — he’s a Spanish motorsport icon whose career spans over two decades and nearly every corner of the racing world. Today, he serves as Global Ambassador for the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team, carrying with him the nickname he earned on the track: the Barcelona Bullet.
De la Rosa’s rise began in Europe, where he captured four junior formula championships before heading to Japan, dominating with the so-called Japanese Triple Crown between 1995 and 1997. From there, he returned to the international stage and Formula 1 — making an instant impression by scoring a world championship point in his very first Grand Prix with Arrows.
His F1 journey took him to Jaguar in 2001 and 2002, followed by a pivotal role as Test Driver at McLaren from 2003–2009. When opportunity struck in Bahrain in 2005, he delivered: finishing fifth and setting the fastest lap. A year later, he claimed his first podium at the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing second behind Jenson Button — cementing his reputation as one of the sport’s most reliable and respected drivers.
In the years that followed, De la Rosa competed with Sauber, returned to McLaren in a reserve role, and later joined Ferrari in 2013 in a developmental capacity. His career evolved seamlessly into Formula E, where he raced with Team Aguri and later helped guide DS Techeetah to back-to-back Driver Championships in 2018 and 2019, plus a Team Championship title in 2019, serving as a trusted technical advisor.
In 2022, he embraced a new chapter as Global Ambassador for Aston Martin Formula 1 — a role that allows him to draw on his extraordinary experience while representing the brand at the highest levels of the sport. For fans and fellow drivers alike, Pedro De La Rosa remains a name synonymous with speed, precision, and an unwavering passion for racing.
We caught up with Pedro on Regent Seven Seas Cruises first-ever Spotlight on Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team cruise through the Mediterranean this summer to talk about his career, the evolution of Formula One, and — of course — his elevated cruise experience.
Photo Credit: Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team Â
You were known to be one of the most technical drivers on the grid. Do you still think like an engineer when you’re watching the races now or do you just enjoy watching?
I’m thinking more like a driver. What are they thinking, how are they approaching the corner. I love to watch on board cameras because I sit in the car and then I see where they brake, how they downshift, how they turn. I like very much to detect talent and see what the differences between the drivers are. I think I’m still a driver, plus, I work for the Spanish TV, commentating.
How do you lead in terms of offering the drivers assistance?
I always try to give the driver’s perspective of the race. That’s what I feel I’m good at and I like. During a race I know how to read the race on strategy. You have a lot of data nowadays on the screens — you have the lap times, you can judge what other people are doing, and also how much tire degradation you’re having or what problems you’re having. I’m experienced, so I know exactly more or less what the driver should do to balance the issues that you always have during a race.
What specific kind of advice would you give them and how do you approach it after a race?
Look, what I do is, I love to watch onboard cameras; the cameras that are on the cockpit. So, I always look at our drivers and our competitors, and then I look at if any other driver is following different lines, if they are taking more the inside curb or the exit curb, and then if I see anything evident, I will tell our drivers.But that’s only my view and my experience and on that track. I know most of the tracks, so it also gives me the know-how of what you need to go fast at each particular track.
Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
I know you said you had no experience with Vegas, but is that a track that would have appealed to you?
Well I think that because it is long and straight, it gives you overtaking opportunities. I don’t think it’s a boring track by any means. The first year was very good. The second year was not as good, bu it’s not a boring track at all. It’s very difficult. as there’s a lot of walls. A Formula 1 race is like a football game You get some games that are 0-0 and they’re quite boring. Then you get games that are really interesting and there’s a lot of goals and interest. So, Formula 1 races you have some good ones some bad ones. and I think that we just have to wait a few more years in Las Vegas to judge how the track is. I love night races by the way and I think that the night races are the future of Formula 1 to be honest, because the cars are beautiful and at night, everything is brighter. It’s not so hot as well in some locations — it’s just a nice climate — and I think that is where the sport will evolve into. But on the other side, it’s very expensive to lighten up a whole track, and there are some tracks that are not prepared yet.
Is it harder, visibility-wise, to see at night during a night race as opposed to the day? Because you were talking about how there’s that element of that you didn’t find in that one particular race, but the element of danger seems to me like it might be more present.
It’s not more dangerous. It can be perceived from the outside, but the reality is that the circuits are so well illuminated. In fact, you could argue that sometimes you can see more in a night race than in a day race. Even in Singapore, we’ve had wet races at night. We were uncertain as to how much would you see in the wet at night because of the reflection, and it wasn’t incredibly easy, but it was incredibly good. You would argue that it was better than during the daytime to have more visibility on the straight at night with all the illumination.
Going back to that element, that was a really intriguing thing to hear, because is danger a reason that many F1 drivers get into the sport? Is that why YOU got into the sport?
No, I didn’t get into the sport because it’s a dangerous sport. On the contrary, it’s a safe sport. However there’s a point where you have to pick up which are your favorite tracks, and that danger element is something that is valued. If you are fast on a more dangerous track, it feels you’ve done a better job — and there’s nothing better than jumping out of the car thinking no other driver would have driven this car one millisecond faster than me. So that element gives you a bit more pleasure that you have done a better job. But we don’t like danger. Having that sense of danger though IS sometimes something you need to perform at a very high level and then feel the pleasure of doing so.
Okay, last question. When you were talking earlier about stepping outside in Valencia, you had an emotional reaction. What would you say is your most emotional memory from your days driving?
Wow, I mean, there have been many, many incredible moments. There have also been very sad moments, where I lost a friend in a race. But we always have to make the best out of it, you know? And the best was when my first ever result in F1; I finished second in the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. It was a very special moment, finally make it to the podium in Formula 1 — because that’s the dream that you’ve been having since you first started, and it was amazing.
I was always a fan of Ayrton Senna — the Brazilian driver [who, at the time of his death in 1994, held the record for most pole positions, among others; he won 41 Grands Prix across 11 seasons. And when I was in my bed, I had a poster on the ceiling of Ayrton Senna driving his McLaren. Whenever I went to sleep, I looked at that poster, and it was him. So, when I finally made it to the podium, it was a very special moment — because I was also driving a McLaren, which was Ayrton Senna’s car. That was the highlight of my career, really.