Ricardo Valentin Rodríguez de la Vega (14 February 1942 in Mexico City, Mexico – 1 November 1962 in Mexico City, Mexico) was a Mexican racing driver who competed in the 1961 and 1962 Formula One seasons.
He was formerly the youngest front-row starter in Formula One history, qualifying second on his debut at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix aged 19 years and 208 days, before Max Verstappen broke the record at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix. He was also, at the time, the youngest ever Formula One driver, until Mike Thackwell succeeded him in 1980, being younger by 18 days.
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is named after both him and his brother Pedro, who also raced in F1.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 0 | NC | Report |
| 1962 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 4 | 13th | Report |
Career Statistics[]
| Entries | 9 |
| Starts | 5 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Front Row Starts | 1 |
| Race Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 4 |
| Laps Raced | 196 |
| Distance Raced | 1,592 km (989 mi) |
Career Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Pts | Pos | ||||||||||||||
| 1961 | 
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0 | NC | |||||||||||||||
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| 1962 |
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4 | 13th | ||||||||||||||
| Ret | DNS | 4th | 6th | Ret | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
