rpm.espn.com: Pedro de la Rosa

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Tuesday, December 4

Pedro de la Rosa
ESPN.com

Team: Jaguar
Nationality: Spain

Pedro de la Rosa
De la Rosa

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Poles
Podium
Best finish

2001 16 0 0 0 5th, Italy

Career 0 0 0 5th, Italy (2001)

2001 Recap
The Good: De la Rosa began the season on the outside looking in -- as Jaguar's test driver. But, the young Spaniard ended up snagging a job driving before the season was very old.

Season Highlight: After beginning his year with three straight DNFs, de la Rosa surprised everyone with a sixth-place effort at Montreal. At the time, the finish tied de la Rosa's all-time top effort. It also earned his first points of the season.

The Bad: There was no shortage of controversy to deal with at Jaguar in 2001. De la Rosa had a rough relationship with his teammate, veteran Eddie Irvine. He also dealt with a change in leadership as Niki Lauda took control from Bobby Rahal. And, even de la Rosa's hiring was controversial, as Prost threatened a lawsuit stating the young driver had signed with them first.

Season Lowlight: De la Rosa spent the beginning of the season watching from the sideline as a test driver.

Pedro de la Rosa
Young Pedro de la Rosa briefly tested for Prost before being snagged by Jaguar early in 2001.

Key Stat: De la Rosa's fifth-place effort at Italy was just the third points-earning finish of his career.

2002 Outlook
What needs to be done: Jaguar needs to continue to improve it's performance and reliability. It's new R3 model for 2002 is promising, according to de la Rosa, who admits the pressure is on for him to improve next season.

Prediction: De la Rosa rarely stood out in 2001, and he probably won't next year either. Jaguar's stature will be based on Irvine's performance, not de la Rosa's.

Your Take
We asked for your thoughts on de la Rosa and his outlook for 2002 and beyond. Will he improve next season? How does he compare to his more experienced teammate? You read what we think, now check out what users said about de la Rosa and his future prospects.

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