Aston Martin sign Pedro de la Rosa in new role, including Driver Development

Aston Martin have secured the services of veteran F1 test and race driver Pedro de la Rosa in a new, expansive role.

De La Rosa, who is better known for his impressive resumé of test driver roles with leading teams like McLaren and Ferrari than his racing days with teams like Arrows and Jaguar, has signed up with Aston Martin in an all-new role created by the British team.

The 51-year-old Spaniard has signed up with the Silverstone-based squad to become their team ambassador, while will be an all-encompassing role involving media, marketing, promotional, communications, commercial, and general advisory duties to exploit the knowledge gleaned from over two decades of involvement in the sport.

He will also consult for Aston Martin’s newly-established Driver Development Programme, whose first signing was recently announced – Formula 2 Champion Felipe Drugovich putting pen to paper with Lawrence Stroll’s outfit. De La Rosa’s involvement will be to help identify future talents, as well as helping with their training and development.

According to Aston Martin, De La Rosa has been signed to help ‘maximise the team’s off-track potential’.

Pedro De La Rosa boasts an impressive F1 C.V.

After a year serving as Jordan’s test driver in 1998, De La Rosa made his F1 debut with Arrows in ’99. With less-than-competitive machines during his first two years in the sport, a switch to Jaguar for 2001 didn’t go much better.

Starting in 2003, De La Rosa became McLaren’s long-term test driver – a role he took to with aplomb, and retained until the end of 2009 – he also had the chance to race for half a season as Juan Pablo Montoya’s replacement in 2006, and he scored a career-best finish of second at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.

A fresh race opportunity came up in 2010, and he joined Sauber for most of that season. Back to McLaren test duties in 2011, he had the chance to drive for Sauber again for a one-off appearance, before landing his final race seat – driving for HRT in 2012.

De La Rosa then put in two years with Ferrari as a test driver, before settling into a media-focused role with several Spanish-speaking television stations, as well as serving as a technical advisor to the Techeetah Formula E squad.

“I am delighted to be joining Aston Martin as Team Ambassador,” De La Rosa said of his return to a full-time F1 role.

“I already know many faces within the team, having worked extensively with Fernando Alonso during my time at McLaren and Ferrari, and I look forward to getting to know everyone within the organisation.

“I will draw on my experience and expertise to help the team grow and further develop the momentum it has been gathering ahead of the 2023 season, with a particular eye on supporting the marketing and commercial side of the business.

“It is clear to me that the potential of AMF1 is huge, and that the appointment of a brilliant roster of new technical leaders and new corporate partners, and next year’s arrival of Fernando, further strengthen the team’s resource and resolve to succeed.

“I am looking forward to working with Fernando, my old friend and fellow countryman, as you might expect, and also Lance Stroll, a gifted racer who has won all the junior categories on his way to Formula One.

“It is the perfect time to be joining the organisation and I will be working hard to make sure that we maximise every opportunity as together we build for an exciting future.”

Read More: Sebastian Vettel delivers warning to Aston Martin over chances of F1 success