Who is Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez named after?
Jack NicoleNovember 5, 2021
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Featured
Formula 1 is back in Mexico this weekend, racing at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in the heart of the city, but who is the track named after?
With Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton just 12 points apart in the standings, the trip to Mexico kicked off the final blow to Abu Dhabi.
The Mexico City Grand Prix is the first Grand Prix to be held on its own in Mexico since 2019, once again at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
It will be the sixth Grand Prix to be held in Mexico since the race returned to the schedule in 2015.
Photo by Peter J. Fox/Getty Images
Who is the track named after?
Translated from Spanish to English, hermanos are brothers.
As such, the track is named after the Rodriguez brothers, both racers from the 1960s and 70s.
It is named after Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez.
Pedro and Ricciardo raced in F1 throughout the 1960s, with Pedro later transitioning to sports cars.
It wasn’t a happy story, however, as both brothers would die at the wheel of a racing car.
What happened to the Rodriguez brothers?
Ricciardo was killed in 1962 after a few grands prix for Ferrari.
The team decided not to participate in the 1962 Mexican Grand Prix – a non-championship race.
However, Ricciardo, 20, wanted to play in front of his hometown fans.
Photo by Michael Oakes Archives/Getty Images
He hired Lotus, run by Rob Walker, and went out to practice.
However, in the terrifying right-hander known as Peraltada, Ricciardo crashed after a suspension failure.
He was hit and killed on the spot.
Today, Ricciardo is the youngest driver to ever drive for Ferrari in F1.
What about Pedro?
The second brother of Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is Pedro.
Between 1963 and 1971 he would have 55 races in F1, including Ferrari.
At the 1967 South African Grand Prix, he became the first Mexican driver to win the F1 World Championship.
He won his second F1 victory at the dreaded old Spa-Francorchamps circuit at the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix.
Photo by Bernard Cahill/Getty Images
In those days, drivers could also race sports cars and compete in full F1 seasons.
In fact, in 1968, Pedro won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT with Lucien Bianchi, the uncle of the late F1 driver Jules Bianchi.
In 1970, in an extremely wet Brands Hatch in the UK, Pedro gave one of the best wet weather performances ever.
In a Porsche 917K sports car, he and teammate Leo Kinnunen won by five laps (below).
In fact, Pedro went from 12th to 2nd in just 15 laps at the start, despite the circumstances.
Pedro was killed in a sports car race at the Nurburgring in 1971 when a tire failure sent him into the guardrail.
Photo: GP Library/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Is there anything to tell us about this article?
Jack usually writes or reads anything related to motorsport – from Formula 1 to NASCAR to British truck racing. His work as a motorsport reporter has been published in prestigious outlets such as Autosport, Motorsport.com and Motorsport News. In addition to racing, he is an avid amateur astronomer, podcast listener, and enjoys walks in the park with his three dogs.
How long has Buster Posey been in MLB?Haley Van Lis and parents shed tears as Louisville advances to Final Four
Discover more articles in our categories Celebrity & News ou encore Wiki.
Thanks for visiting we hope our article Who is Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez named after?
, don’t forget to share the article on Facebook, twitter and e-mail with the hashtags ☑️ #Autodromo #Hermanos #Rodriguez #named ☑️!