1m31.447s. The fastest lap of the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix, set by Pedro de la Rosa, remains the official lap record at the Sakhir circuit – something the Spaniard will boast about whenever the opportunity arises. And it doesn’t take him even a second to name the McLaren MP4-20 his favourite car of all time.
The McLaren of the 2005 season was a formidable weapon in the hands of Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen, winning 10 of the 18 races it contested in F1 that year. Yet both titles went to Fernando Alonso and Renault.
“It’s definitely the fastest car I’ve ever driven,” says de la Rosa as we sit down with the former McLaren test and race driver in the Aston Martin hospitality suite almost 20 years later. “It was the last V10 car, with the Michelin tyres. It was just a super fast car. Great engine in the Mercedes, but most of all amazing aerodynamics. It was an extremely stable car and it was incredibly good with the tyres.”
However, the Bahrain race, where he finished fifth, was de la Rosa’s first and last for McLaren that year. At the San Marino Grand Prix, it was Alex Wurz who was at the wheel of Montoya’s MP4-20.
“Alex was the nominated reserve driver,” explains de la Rosa, previously a veteran of Arrows and Jaguar, “but he couldn’t really fit into the car. They had to make some modifications to the fire extinguisher and I think his elbow clearance wasn’t good enough, so he couldn’t really steer and feel comfortable inside the car. So I got the chance in Bahrain.
“It was an incredible feeling. It was the first time I drove a competitive car in F1. The problem was that for the next race in Imola, they had already made changes for Alex. But the team always said that we would give an opportunity to me, then to Alex and then, if Juan Pablo could not recover for Barcelona, it would be my turn again.”
De la Rosa’s call-up to replace Montoya in Bahrain was unexpected, but a cherished memory
Photo by: Sutton Images
Yet, de la Rosa was not destined to start his home race. Montoya returned to action at the Spanish Grand Prix, deciding after Friday’s sessions that he was fit enough to race. De la Rosa was on standby, ready to jump into the cockpit at any moment, as he also drove the third car in the first practice session – but the call never came.
“If you remember, we could use a third car on Friday – and I was fastest in practice,” he recalls. “And then I was just hoping that Montoya would decide that he wasn’t ready…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Motorsport.com – Formula 1 – Stories…