About Ricardo Rodríguez (racing driver)
Ricardo Valentín Rodríguez de la Vega (14 February 1942 – 1 November 1962) was the first Mexican driver ever to take part in a Formula One Grand Prix, competing in the 1961 and 1962 Formula One seasons. At the age of 19 years and 208 days, when first racing for Ferrari at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, Rodríguez became the youngest Formula One driver to race for the Italian team, a title he held until the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where his record was broken by Briton Oliver Bearman at 18 years and 305 days old. At this Italian 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 also became the youngest driver to score points in Formula One, a record he held until the 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix. His death at the age of 20 in a crash during practice for the 1962 Mexican Grand Prix made him the youngest Formula One driver to die. Rodríguez's elder brother, Pedro, was also a noted racing driver who had much success in both sports car racing and Formula One, including a season with Ferrari in 1969, who was killed in a crash during a sportscar race at the Norisring in 1971. == Personal life == Rodríguez was born in Mexico City and was a child cycling champion who switched to motorcycles in domestic competition from the age of 11. He was the third son from the marriage of Pedro Natalio Rodríguez and Concepción "Conchita" (née de la Vega), he had three brothers and one sister, Pedro, Federico, Conchita and Alejandro. Rodríguez was married to Sara (née Cardoso) in July 1961 but left no children. In the summer of 1962, his close friend, Jo Ramírez, would accompany him to his adventure in Europe. == Career == Rodríguez won several national motorcycle titles, before taking up saloon car racing in his own Fiat Topolino.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.