Mexican Formula 1 drivers: teenagers, triumphs and tragedies

The number of Mexican drivers in the Formula 1 World Championship is modest: only six drivers from this Central American country have made it onto the Grand Prix starting grid. Two of them, the brothers Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez, gave their name to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

But the Mexican circuit was not always called that. It was only renamed following Pedro’s death in the 1970s. Previously, it was named after the local Magdalena Mixhuca Park, which in turn takes its name from the Church of Santa María Magdalena Mixhuca, dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene. Among the indigenous people, the name Mixhuca meant something like ‘birthplace’.

The Rodríguez brothers made a name for themselves as teenagers – with great talent coupled with utter fearlessness; they won numerous titles in motorcycling before switching to four wheels.

Even today, when we have so many young Formula 1 drivers, this is remarkable: Pedro was already driving racing cars at the age of 13, and Ricardo at 15!

Ricardo broke many records: youngest man on the podium at Le Mans (where, initially, they didn’t even want to let him start because of his youth), youngest winner of the Targa Florio.

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Ricardo Rodríguez mit seinem Ferrari in Belgien 1962

Foto: Grand Prix Photo

Enzo Ferrari had long seen him as a future world champion. In his third Grand Prix, on the awe-inspiring circuit at Spa-Francorchamps, he would have finished third, but had to give up his place to team leader Phil Hill.

Enzo Ferrari never forgave himself for giving Ricardo the go-ahead to drive a Lotus in the first Mexican Grand Prix in 1962. During practice for this non-championship race, the young Rodríguez crashed to his death on the banked Peraltada bend. He was not even 21 years old.

Pedro, just under two years older, was the level-headed one. He was quickly regarded as a world-class sports car driver; in a Ferrari, a Ford and, above all, in the Porsche 917, he was unbeatable on certain days.

In Formula 1, his timing was often off. He drove for Cooper when the British team was already in decline (though he won his first Grand Prix at Kyalami in 1967), he drove for Ferrari in 1969, a poor year for the Italians, then switched to BRM, whilst Ferrari were celebrating victories again in 1970, with Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni.

In Belgium in 1970, Pedro secured his second Grand Prix victory on the ultra-fast old Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Pedro Rodríguez nach seinem Sieg in Spa-Francorchamps 1970

Foto: Grand Prix Photo

In 1971, he lost his life in a sports car race at the Norisring, whilst driving Herbert Müller’s private Ferrari 512. Within a few months, BRM lost both its star drivers: first Pedro, then Jo Siffert.

One of the brothers’ rivals was Moisés Solana. Only two of his eight Grand Prix races were not held in Mexico (namely in the USA), and he never finished higher than 10th in his home race in 1964. The main reason for this was the mediocre equipment.

Moisés Solana 1965 im Lotus

Foto: Grand Prix Photo

An interesting fact: Solana was the first Formula 1 driver to start with the number 13 (later driven by the Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado) and was also a world-class player of the ball game jai alai.

Solana died in a CanAm McLaren during a hill climb in Mexico in 1969.

Héctor Rebaque initially bought a seat with Hesketh in 1977, competed in privately entered Lotus cars in 1978 and 1979, and from 1980 onwards was Nelson Piquet’s team-mate at Brabham.

Héctor Rebaque 1982 im Brabham

Foto: Grand Prix Photo

In 1981, he finished tenth in the World Championship (best result: fourth in San Marino, Germany and the Netherlands), but at the end of the season, sponsor Parmalat wanted an Italian in the race car.

At just under 27, Rebaque retired after his IndyCar career had not gone as hoped.

Sergio Pérez and Esteban Gutiérrez are representatives of the ‘karting kids’ generation; both came through the Escuderia Telmex development programme, Pérez was also a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy (an agreement that ended with his McLaren contract in 2013), whilst Gutiérrez became a Ferrari test driver (which earned him a seat with the new Haas team for 2016).

Esteban Gutiérrez 2016 im Haas

Foto: Grand Prix Photo

Pérez and Gutiérrez made a name for themselves whilst still teenagers. Sergio arrived in Germany at a very young age, then moved to England, where he competed in Formula BMW and then Formula 3. In 2008, he was due to test a Formula 1 Honda, but the Japanese team withdrew from the Grand Prix scene and the test fell through.

Pérez’s strong performances in GP2 led to a contract with Sauber. Sergio repaid the faith shown in him with three podium finishes (second in Sepang, third in Canada, second in Monza). His year at McLaren was a disaster. Sergio moved to Force India after just one year, where he finished third in Bahrain in 2014 and in Sochi in 2015.

In 2020, Pérez won the Sakhir Grand Prix for Racing Point, after which Red Bull Racing signed him as Max Verstappen’s team-mate. Sergio repaid the faith shown in him with five victories and a second-place finish in the 2023 World Championship. At the end of 2024, he was forced to leave RBR due to a lack of results.

Gutiérrez was promoted from Sauber test driver to race driver in 2013, but only managed to score points in Japan and was replaced at the end of 2014. He moved to Ferrari, which was to become the springboard for his second Formula 1 career. However, his performances at Haas were unconvincing, and the Mexican was not offered a new contract at the end of 2016. He subsequently spent time in the Mercedes simulator. But his Formula 1 racing career has since come to an end.

The tally: of six Mexicans, five have scored points (only Solana did not), three have set fastest laps (Pedro Rodríguez, Sergio Pérez and Esteban Gutiérrez), two have stood on the podium (Pérez and Pedro), and two have won: the unforgettable Pedro Rodríguez and Pérez.

Mit diesem Overall bestreitet Sergio Pérez sein 300. GP-Wochenende

Foto: Cadillac

The 2026 Mexican Grand Prix marks Pérez’s return to the starting grid, this time with Cadillac (he hadn’t secured a seat for 2025). So this weekend, the fans will once again be chanting “Checo! Checo! Checo!”. The enthusiasm for their compatriot completely overshadows stars such as Hamilton or Verstappen.