De la Rosa Celebrates 'Best F1 Race'
Spanish stand-in Pedro de la Rosa proved his worth to McLaren on Sunday with a memorable performance in Bahrain

"This was my best race in Formula One by a mile," he said after finishing fifth and also setting the fastest lap of one 1:31.447 seconds 14 laps from the end.
"It's the first time in Formula One that I've had a competitive car and I have been able to enjoy and overtake people instead of being overtaken. I had a lot of fun and it's always fun when you finally overtake people."
The 34-year-old battled his way past Briton Jenson Button's BAR, Brazilian Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari and Australian Mark Webber's Williams.
"We had a massive battle there, I tell you," he said of his clash with Webber.
De la Rosa had not raced since the end of the 2002 season when he left Jaguar. In four years in Formula One, two with now-defunct Arrows and two with Jaguar, his best result was fifth at Monza with Jaguar in 2001.
Employed as a test driver by McLaren, he found himself racing in Bahrain after Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was injured last weekend.
He had to ease off at the start as he found himself heading into the second corner with teammate Kimi Raikkonen, who finished third for McLaren's first podium of the year.
Sunday may have been de la Rosa's finest hour, with Montoya expected to return at the next San Marino Grand Prix on April 24, but it could also have been his last Grand Prix appearance.
"It might be, I don't know," he said. "I have been very honest. I've done my best today, I feel great and if its my last race it's not a problem because I proved a point today.
"If I hadn't proved a point today I would feel sore or bitter but that hasn't been the case. I've done the fastest lap. I had five clean laps during the whole race so to do fastest lap is quite good."
Team boss Ron Dennis said the Spaniard had shown "the level of professionalism and speed that we have always observed in his testing role."

Renault Hail Alonso after Historic Hat-Trick
Sunday's Selected Quotes - Bahrain

Latest news
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix