| Adrián Fernández | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 20 April 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Mexico City, Mexico | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prev Series: | Mexican Touring Car Racing, Formula Vee, Formula K, Benelux Formula Ford, British Formula Ford, Mexican Formula Three, Indy Lights, CART World Series, IndyCar Series, Rolex Sports Car Series, American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prev Series Years: | 1981–1983, 1984–1986, 1987–1989, 1990–1991, 1992, 1993–2003, 2004–2005, 2006, 2007–2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Titles: | Mexican Formula Vee Champion, Mexican Formula Three Champion, American Le Mans Series LMP2 Class Champion | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title Years: | 1983, 1991, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Module: |
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Adrián Fernández Mier (born April 20, 1963) is a Mexican former professional race car driver and co-owner of the Fernandez Racing team.
Fernández was born in Mexico City. He began his career in Mexico at the age of eight. He entered his first auto race in 1981 at the "24 Hours of Mexico" race in Mexico City, and at the age of 15, he made the permanent move to cars in 1982. From 1982 to 1984, Fernández competed in the Formula Vee Championship, taking the title in '83 and '84. He also raced in the Formula K Series in 1984, competing in that series through 1986. He finished in the top four in the standings all three years in Formula K.
In 1987, he participated in the Benelux Formula Ford 1600 Championship, one British RAC Formula Ford 1600 Championship race, and competed in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. From 1988 to 1989 he participated in the British RAC and Esso Formula Ford 1600 Championship series before moving to the Mexican F3 Championship from 1990 and 1991, winning the title in 1991.
In 1992, Fernández went to the United States to compete in the Firestone Indy Lights Championship (now the PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship). He finished third in the points, winning four races, a rookie record, and took the "Indy Lights Rookie of the Year" honors, and made more than two million dollars in prize earnings.
At a young age, Fernández made the jump to the CART IndyCar World Series in 1993, competing in five races for Galles Racing International. He participated in his first full CART season in 1994, with Galles finishing 13th and capturing the "Marco Magaña" and "Luchador Olmeca" awards along with the "JAC" trophy for "Best Driver" outside Mexico. Competing again with Galles in 1995, Fernández finished 12th in the standings, placing with nine top-ten finishes.
Fernández moved to Tasman Motorsports in 1996. He had six top-ten finishes, including his first career CART victory at Toronto. Unfortunately, his delight at taking his first win was dampened by the fatal accident suffered by Jeff Krosnoff late in the race. The win in Toronto made him the first Mexican to win a CART event since Héctor Rebaque in 1982. Fernández went on to finish 12th in the season's points tally. 1997 was a disappointing season for Fernández. The Tasman team ran a Lola chassis, which failed to perform to expectations. Through force of will, determination, and talent, Fernández battled to three top-ten finishes and 18th place in the PPG Cup standings.
Fernández joined Patrick Racing for the 1998 season and proved his ability to challenge for the championship. He enjoyed fourteen top-ten finishes with eight top-five placements and two victories, Japan and Mid-Ohio, en route to a fourth-place showing in the PPG Cup race during the 1998 FedEx Championship. He captured his first career pole at Michigan and led the championship race for the first time in his career. Unfortunately, Fernández was once again touched by tragedy — a crash at Michigan resulted in an errant wheel from his car flying into the stands and killing three spectators.[1] However, it was his victory during the Miller Lite 200 that gave Patrick Racing one of its most memorable moments, when Fernández stood atop the podium next to his teammate Scott Pruett. Fernández was also named the "Athlete of the Year" in Mexico.
In 1999, Fernandez enjoyed his most successful season so far in the CART series, Adrián Fernández, behind the wheel of the #40 Tecate/Quaker State Reynard Ford-Cosworth, completed the year sixth in the championship battle. He led the points' series early in the season for the first time in his CART career. However, an accident at Belle Isle Park resulted in a fracture in one of his hands, forcing him to sit out for several races. Undeterred, he later won at Motegi, Japan at the Firestone Firehawk 500 and at the Marlboro 500 in Fontana, California — a race marred by the death of good friend Greg Moore.
Later in 1999, Fernández was selected to participate in the IROC series, where he competed against many top-tier drivers, including NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte, and Dale Earnhardt. Fernández had 80 total starts in the series. Of those starts, he finished in the top-ten 41 times throughout his seven-year career.
In 2000, Fernández had his best season in the CART series, coming close to winning the championship despite not starting on the front row all season. He scored points in 17 of the 20 races, including two wins at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Australia, and three further podium results. He finished second to Gil de Ferran in the championship.
In 2001, he founded Fernandez Racing, with former Ganassi manager Tom Anderson as his partner and ex-F1 driver Shinji Nakano as his teammate. He finished 3rd twice and took two poles that year, but his team's first victory came at Portland in 2003, the first win for an owner-driver since Bobby Rahal achieved the feat in 1992. That year he also ran an Indy Racing League (IRL) entry for Asian-American Roger Yasukawa, in partnership with Aguri Suzuki, and in 2004, he moved the whole team to the series. Despite taking three wins and finishing 4th overall in the 2004 IRL championship, he was unable to secure funding to race in 2005. Delphi was driver Scott Sharp's personal sponsor, while engine suppliers Honda insisted on Japanese driver Kosuke Matsuura in the second car.
In 2005, he drove the No. 5 Lowe's / Hitachi Chevrolet in Mexico for Hendrick Motorsports in the first NASCAR Busch Series race held outside the United States. In this race (called the Telcel-Motorola 200), Fernández raced in a one-time race to help promote NASCAR racing to the local fans. He led several laps in the race before giving up the lead to eventual race winner Martin Truex Jr. It was announced that he would run four more races in the Busch Series for Hendrick Motorsports, but he did not run up front at any of those races. In 2006, he competed in two Busch races for Hendrick and competed full time in the Grand-Am series for his own team with Lowe's sponsorship.
In 2007, Fernández moved to American Le Mans Series LMP2 class as an Acura factory team. His teammate was fellow Mexican and Grand-Am veteran Luis Díaz.
On October 10, 2009, Fernández and his co-driver Luis Díaz won at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. With this victory, the Lowe's Fernandez Racing Acura ARX-01B concludes the season with the drivers' championship and teams' championship of the American Le Mans Series in the LMP2 category.
In the 2007 Fernández made his debut with a second place in the LMP2 category in the famous race with the Barazi-Epsilon team Zytek aboard a 07S/2 3.4-liter V8 prototype. His teammates were Haruki Kurosawa and Robbie Kerr. This was the first podium for a Mexican at the Circuit de la Sarthe in many years, to remember those achieved by Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez in 1962 and 1968 respectively. The English-French team took pole position on its category.
After three years of absence, Fernández is now competing in the 2010 now competing in LMP1 class with Aston Martin Racing finished fifth in his category (sixth absolute) with a Lola-Aston Martin B09/60, his co-drivers were Harold Primat and Stefan Mücke.
The luck did not favor Adrian in 2011, when his team, the Aston Martin Racing in LMP1 class, could barely afford 2 laps with their Aston Martin AMR-One and leave the test due to problems with the engine running at the 56th site.
In the 80th edition of 2012, Fernández and the Aston Martin Racing Team got third place in the GTE-Pro class, along with his co-drivers Stefan Mücke and Darren Turner, Their Aston Martin Vantage 4.5 L-V8 covered a total of 332 laps (2,811.65 miles), on the Circuit de la Sarthe without failure or serious mechanical problems. Also, the team achieved the fastest lap of the category with 3 minutes and 54,928 seconds. Adrián had the honor to drive the last stage of the competition.[2] [3]
On September 12, 2012, Fernández announced that his participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship would conclude at the end of the season, as well his relationship with the Aston Martin Racing team that started in 2010. The Mexican driver will focus on competitions in the United States.[4]
On September 28, 2012 Formula One driver Sergio Pérez announced that Férnandez would be his manager.[5]
In September 2016, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez honored Fernández when they named Turn 12 of the circuit after him.[6]
In 2024, Fernández acquired the legendary BRM P153/05 from a private collector. This Formula One car won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix under the command of Mexican idol Pedro Rodríguez.
Fernández retired from motorsports in 2012. He has two children: Valentina and Niko Fernández, and he married longtime girlfriend, former beauty queen, author, and retired actress Priscila Perales on October 21, 2017. They got married[7] [8] on May 4, 2018, in Miami Beach, Florida. The happy couple announced their son, Adrián Fernández Jr. was born on October 29, 2020.
(key)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Rank | Points | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Galles | SRF | PHX | LBH | INDY | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | NHM | ROA | VAN | MDO | NZR | LS | 24th | 7 | [9] | ||||||
| 1994 | Galles | SRF | PHX | LBH | INDY | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | MDO | NHM | VAN | ROA | NZR | LS | 13th | 46 | [10] | ||||||
| 1995 | Galles | MIA | SRF | PHX | LBH | NZR | INDY | MIL | DET | POR | ROA | TOR | CLE | MIS | MDO | NHM | VAN | LS | 12th | 66 | [11] | |||||
| 1996 | Tasman | MIA | RIO | SRF | LBH | NZR | 500 | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | MDO | ROA | VAN | LS | 12th | 71 | [12] | ||||||
| 1997 | Tasman | MIA | SRF | LBH | NZR | RIO | STL | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | MDO | ROA | VAN | LS | FON | 18th | 27 | [13] | |||||
| 1998 | Patrick | MIA | MOT | LBH | NZR | RIO | STL | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | MDO | ROA | VAN | LS | HOU | SRF | FON | 4th | 154 | [14] | |||
| 1999 | Patrick | MIA | MOT | LBH | NZR | RIO | STL | MIL | POR | CLE | ROA | TOR | MIS | DET | MDO Inj | CHI Inj | VAN Inj | LS | HOU | SRF | FON | 6th | 140 | [15] | ||
| 2000 | Patrick | MIA | LBH | RIO | MOT | NZR | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | CHI | MDO | ROA | VAN | LS | STL | HOU | SRF | FON | 2nd | 158 | [16] | ||
| 2001 | Fernández | MTY | LBH | TXS NH | NZR | MOT | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | CHI | MDO | ROA | VAN | LAU | ROC | HOU | LS | SRF | FON | 18th | 45 | [17] | |
| 2002 | Fernández | MTY | LBH | MOT | MIL | LS | POR | CHI | TOR | CLE | VAN | MDO Inj | ROA | MTL | DEN | ROC | MIA | SRF | FON Inj | MXC Inj | 14th | 59 | [18] | |||
| 2003 | Fernández | STP | MTY | LBH | BRH | LAU | MIL | LS | POR | CLE | TOR | VAN | ROA | MDO | MTL | DEN | MIA | MXC | SRF | FON NH | 8th | 105 | [19] | |||
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Aguri-Fernández Racing | HMS | PHX | MOT | INDY | TXS | RIR | KAN | NSH | MIL | MIS | KTY | PPIR | NZR | CHI | FON | TX2 | 5th | 445 | [20] | ||
| 2005 | Aguri-Fernández Racing | HMS | PHX | STP | MOT | INDY | TXS | RIR | KAN | NSH | MIL | MIS | KTY | PPIR | SNM | CHI | WGL | FON | 29th | 16 | [21] |
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | Tires | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Lowe's Fernández Racing | LMP2 | Lola B06/43 | Acura 3.4L V8 | SEB ovr:3 cls:2 | STP ovr:6 cls:4 | LNB ovr:8 cls:7 | TEX ovr:8 cls:7 | UTA ovr:7 cls:5 | LIM ovr:Ret cls:Ret | MID ovr:4 cls:3 | AME ovr:8 cls:6 | MOS ovr:8 cls:6 | DET ovr:6 :cls:4 | PET ovr:Ret cls:Ret | MON ovr:5 cls:3 | 11th | 102 | [22] | |
| 2008 | Lowe's Fernandez Racing | LMP2 | Acura ARX-01b | Acura 3.4L V8 | SEB ovr:DSQ cls:DSQ | STP ovr:10 cls:7 | LNB ovr:8 cls:6 | UTA ovr:5 cls:5 | LIM ovr:5 cls:4 | MID ovr:5 cls:3 | AME ovr:Ret cls:Ret | MOS ovr:4 cls:2 | DET ovr:23 cls:9 | PET ovr:Ret cls:Ret | MON ovr:9 cls:7 | 12th | 88 | [23] | ||
| 2009 | Lowe's Fernández Racing | LMP2 | Acura ARX-01b | Acura 3.4L V8 | SEB ovr:4 cls:1 | STP ovr:2 cls:1 | LNB ovr:3 cls:1 | UTA ovr:3 cls:1 | LIM ovr:7 cls:2 | MID ovr:3 cls:1 | AME ovr:3 cls:1 | MOS ovr:3 cls:1 | PET ovr:21 cls:2 | MON ovr:2 cls:1 | 1st | 217 | [24] | |||
| 2010 | Aston Martin Racing | LMP1 | Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 | Aston Martin 6.0 L V12 | SEB ovr:3 cls:3 | PET | NC | - | [25] | |||||||||||
| LMP | LNB ovr:2 cls:2 | MON | UTA | LIM | MID | AME | MOS | |||||||||||||
| 2011 | Aston Martin Racing | LMP1 | Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 | Aston Martin 6.0 L V12 | SEB | LNB | LIM | MOS | MID | AME | BAL | MON ovr:1 cls:1 | PET ovr:3 cls:3 | 7th | 25 | [26] | ||||
| 2012 | Aston Martin Racing | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Vantage GTE | Aston Martin 4.5 L V8 | SEB ovr:34 cls:3 | NC | - | [27] | ||||||||||||
| GT | LNB ovr:11 cls:5 | MON ovr:17 cls:8 | LIM | MOS | MID | AME | BAL | VIR | PET |
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Barazi-Epsilon Zytek Engineering |  Haruki Kurosawa Robbie Kerr | Zytek 07S/2 | LMP2 | 301 | 27th | 2nd | ||
| Aston Martin Racing |  Harold Primat Stefan Mücke | Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 | LMP1 | 365 | 6th | 5th | ||
| Aston Martin Racing | Harold Primat Andy Meyrick | Aston Martin AMR-One | LMP1 | 2 | DNF | DNF | ||
| Aston Martin Racing | Stefan Mücke Darren Turner | Aston Martin Vantage GTE | GTE Pro | 332 | 19th | 3rd | ||
(key) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)| NASCAR Nationwide Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | Pts | Ref | |
| 2005 | Hendrick Motorsports | 5 | Chevy | DAY | CAL | MXC | LVS | ATL | NSH | BRI | TEX | PHO | TAL | DAR | RCH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | DAY | CHI | NHA | PPR | GTY | IRP | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | TEX 43 | PHO | HOM | 74th | 411 | [28] |
| 2006 | 57 | DAY | CAL | MXC | LVS | ATL | BRI | TEX | NSH | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | DAY | CHI | NHA | MAR | GTY | IRP | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | TEX | PHO | HOM | 87th | 239 | [29] | ||
| 2007 | 5 | DAY | CAL | MXC | LVS | ATL | BRI | NSH | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | NHA | DAY | CHI | GTY | IRP | CGV | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | TEX | PHO | HOM | 115th | 138 | [30] | ||
| 2008 | JR Motorsports | DAY | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | NSH | TEX | PHO | MXC | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | NHA | DAY | CHI | GTY | IRP | CGV | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | TEX | PHO | HOM | 110th | 121 | [31] | ||
(key) (
Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)