In honour of the sixtieth anniversary of Mexico City’s inaugural race in Formula 1, the winner of pole position at the Mexico Grand Prix will be awarded two replica helmets as a tribute to brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez de la Vega, two of Mexico’s most prominent drivers in the history of motorsport.
This award serves as a continuation of last year’s pole-sitter award, when Valtteri Bottas was presented a replica helmet of five-time F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio by the Fangio Foundation at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Pedro Rodríguez found great success in sportscars, having won the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours and Daytona 24 Hours endurance races as well as two F1 Grands Prix. Ricardo Rodríguez cemented his place in history as Scuderia Ferrari’s youngest ever driver, a record that still stands today.
The inaugural F1 race in Mexico City took place in 1962 as a non-championship event. Although Ferrari did not participate in the race in light of a difficult season, Ricardo Rodríguez was able to take part in a Lotus-Climax. The event took a tragic turn, as Rodríguez suffered a fatal crash during qualifying.
Pedro Rodríguez showed great strength as he recovered from the loss of his brother and went on to have a prolific career in racing, making his mark in the world of motorsport.
Mexican Grand Prix General Director Federico González Compean said that it is a “great honour” to work with the Fangio Foundation and recognize the Rodríguez brothers at this year’s Grand Prix.
“It is a great honour to collaborate again with the Fangio Foundation to offer an invaluable gift to the winner of the pole position of our event. The Rodríguez brothers are great heroes of motorsport not only in Mexico, but also in Latin America and throughout the world.
“I am sure that just as Valtteri Bottas was honoured to receive Fangio’s replica, the 2022 pole winner will be delighted to collect both helmets on this special 60th anniversary of the arrival of Formula 1 in our country.”
