1962-09-15 156 F1/120 (4) Ricardo Rodriguez ITA - Monza 14
Mexican Ricardo Rodriguez, with this Ferrari 156 finished 14th in the 1962 Italian Grand Prix at Monza on 16 September 1962. The 86-lap race was won by BRM driver Graham Hill after he started from second position. His teammate Richie Ginther finished second and Cooper driver Bruce McLaren came in third. The succesful sharknose of 1961, was not competitiev to the new wave of English cars that had learnt the lesson from Ferrari the previous years.
Ricardo Valentín Rodríguez de la Vega (1942 – 1962) competed in the 1961 and 1962 Formula One seasons. His elder brother, Pedro, was also a noted racing driver who had much success in sports car racing and Formula One. At the age of 19 years and 208 days when first racing at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, he became the youngest Formula One driver ever to race for Ferrari, a title he still holds today. At this Grand Prix, he also became the youngest driver to start a Formula One race until the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix and the youngest driver to start from the first row until the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, and at the 1962 Belgian Grand Prix he became also the youngest driver to score points in Formula One until the 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix. He was also the first Mexican driver ever to take part in a Formula One Grand Prix.
Rodríguez was born in Mexico City. He won several national motorcycle titles, before taking up saloon car racing in his own Fiat Topolino. He often raced for the North American Racing Team (NART) with his brother Pedro, although he would also enter cars under his own team's name, Scuderia Rodríguez.
He was refused an entry at Le Mans in 1958 because he was too young (16 years and 106 days), but went back in 1959 to race an OSCA in the 750cc class. In the edition of 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1960 he partnered André Pilette to second place. At 18 years and 133 days of age, he is the youngest driver ever to stand on the podium at Le Mans. Rodríguez was given a guest drive by Ferrari for the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, qualifying a surprise second and becoming the youngest driver in history to start from front row (19 years and 208 days), a record that would not be beaten until the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix by Max Verstappen. In the race he exchanged the lead with Phil Hill and Richie Ginther many times, until a fuel pump failure ended his race. 1962 saw a full works drive with Ferrari, who used him sparingly considering his age and rough edges. Whenever used, Rodríguez shone, taking second at the Pau Grand Prix, fourth at the Belgian Grand Prix and sixth at the German Grand Prix in a tough year in Formula One for Ferrari. He also won the 1962 Targa Florio edition with Olivier Gendebien and Willy Mairesse in a Ferrari 246 SP.
Rodríguez was considered a potential future champion already, but was left without a drive when Ferrari opted not to enter the non-Championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix at the Magdalena Mixiuhca Circuit, Mexico City. He signed to drive Rob Walker's Lotus 24, but died during the first day of unofficial practice, when the Lotus' rear right suspension failed at the fearsome Peraltada turn, and it hit the barriers, killing him instantaneously. He was 20 years old and his death provoked national mourning in Mexico.
