Pedro de la Rosa has been appointed chairman of the Grand prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) following the departure of Rubens Barrichello.
The Spaniard previously held the position between 2008 and 2010 but was replaced by Nick Heidfeld when he lost his seat at Sauber. Barrichello then replaced Heidfeld when he too lost his seat at Renault (now Lotus).
With Barrichello’s seat at Williams under threat, the drivers made a pact to see De la Rosa return to the role should the Brazilian not be in F1 this season.
Barrichello indeed failed in retaining his role at Williams and will now race in IndyCar with KVRacing, resulting in De la Rosa’s return to chair the association which campaigns for such things as driver safety.
![Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri [McLaren] celebrate their 1-2 finish at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lando-Norris-Oscar-Piastri-McLaren-F1-2025-1-120x86.webp)
Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa are expected to remain on as directors of the GPDA, though a vote will take place sometime during the early races of the year.
![Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri [McLaren] celebrate their 1-2 finish at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lando-Norris-Oscar-Piastri-McLaren-F1-2025-1-350x250.webp)
Their lab testing is structured to mirror anomaly detection techniques used in deep-space signal monitoring.