Five minutes with Pedro de la Rosa

This year marks a full-time Formula One return for Catalan Pedro de la Rosa. He is doing it with Madrid-based HRT, Spain’s first and, so far, only team. He may be 41 with a F1 career that started over 13 years ago, but ‘Peter of the Rose’ still has something to prove. Ahead of his Barcelona homecoming, we grabbed him for an exclusive chat.

Pedro, Barcelona has changed almost beyond belief in your lifetime; what do you remember of the Olympic year in 1992?

It was a massive thing for the city, not only during the summer of ’92 but all the years preceding it. I was at school then and everyone was so keen on working as a volunteer at the Olympics; there was a fantastic atmosphere and the whole city was living for it. It definitely transformed Barcelona, making it much more attractive and modern, and we all benefited from a lot of infrastructure that was needed but couldn’t be built before, as we didn’t have the money without a perfect excuse like the Olympics.

Where are you living nowadays?

Well, I actually don’t live in Barcelona anymore. For the past five years I’ve been living in Zurich with my wife and three kids, and my youngest daughter was even born in Zurich. But before that I had lived absolutely all of my life in the centre of Barcelona, except for a few years in the middle because of racing. We were in Sarrià, near the Ronda de Dalt and very close to the mountains. It’s not the seaside but more the mountainous side of the city, with beautiful views and lots of universities and schools. It’s a very artistic and pleasant area.

Do you have any favourite restaurants in the city?

I have plenty of favourite restaurants in Barcelona! It’s difficult to choose just one, but I love La Venta, for example, which is on the mountain side; you have a fantastic view of the whole city at night…it’s a very romantic restaurant where I take my wife on occasions. I also like La Balsa, also on the mountain side—they say that was Ayrton Senna’s favourite restaurant in Barcelona. In any case, it’s a place we used to go to celebrate birthdays or any special occasions with my family and I have very fond memories of being there with my parents.

Do you find the traffic on the Rondas as bad as we do?!

It’s terrible! An absolute disaster! I always say that the Rondas are like the tunnel of time: when you go into any of the Rondas, you never know when you’ll get out! I try to avoid them as much as I can because it’s becoming a serious issue. They were created for the Olympics and since then there has been no investment; we need more access to Barcelona and better ring roads. I’m sorry if you’ve ever been stuck there! It certainly won’t be your last time.

When did you discover your passion for motor racing?

My first moment came when I was a very young kid. I would take my mother’s car when she was out at the swimming pool or sunbathing! I would be in her Renault 5 with my brother and select first gear, then realised that I could drive a real car! I was only nine years old but it felt fantastic and from that moment on I got the desire to drive a go-kart, but I never aimed to be anything more than a karter…so it was at the age of nine when I realised that motorbikes were good but cars were a lot better.

F1 career facts: Pedro de la Rosa

Active seasons: 1999-2002, 2005-2006 and 2010-present

Team: HRT

Former teams: Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren and Sauber