Vicente Calderón, the only Ibizan mechanic in the Formula One paddock, speaks to Diario de Ibiza from Abu Dhabi, where the competition will this weekend bring an exciting season —which still has no clear winner— to a close.
How does an Ibizan mechanic end up in the world of Formula One? What took him from the island to working with a team in the paddock?
“Since childhood I have been passionate about the world of motorsport. I didn’t have many people in my immediate environment who were involved in it, but I never missed an event on the island. Starting with the rally that took place in Sant Josep, the Autocross of Sant Rafel and, of course, the legendary Pujada a Sa Cala. I spent more time in the paddock than watching the races; I loved being part of a team.
When I finished ESO, I was offered several opportunities, one of which was to study mechanics. I spent two years completing an intermediate qualification and from there I moved on to a higher-level course in the Basque Country. That was the stepping stone to Barcelona, where I studied for two more years at a school specialising in motorsport mechanics, and where I graduated as the top student in my class.
Thanks to that, I was able to take on the best internships available at the school, working with karting, touring cars, GTs and even prototypes, with which I took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. All of that gave me the perfect résumé to join the Formula 1 team I’m with today, which at the time was Toro Rosso. I started in the factory until I finally made the jump to the track”.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.