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Luis Pérez-Sala

b. 1959

Spanish racecar driver

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About Luis Pérez-Sala

Born 1959. Luis Pérez-Sala is a Spanish racing automobile driver and formula One driver.

Luis Pérez-Sala Valls-Taberner (born 15 May 1959) is a Spanish retired racing driver who competed in Formula One, Formula 3, Formula 3000 and Touring Cars. He was also the team principal of HRT Formula 1 Team during the 2012 F1 season.

Career Pérez-Sala started his racing career in karting before graduating to racing production-based cars in the early 1980s, initially competing in Renault 5s before competing internationally in the Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint Cup in 1983. He competed in the 1984 FIA European Formula 3 Championship in a Ralt-Alfa Romeo, steadily improving across the season and taking a second place at Knutstorp and a fifth at Jarama to place tenth in the season standings. In 1985, he switched to the Italian Formula 3 Championship, finishing seventh overall and scoring a win. The following year, he moved to Formula 3000 with great success, winning races at Birmingham and Enna in 1986 and finishing fourth in that year's championship. He remained in F3000 for the following year, joining the factory Lola team, taking wins at Donington Park and the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit and finishing as runner-up to Stefano Modena in the championship. He became famous for his arguments with Alfonso de Vinuesa, caused by political views: the pair were involved in a spectacular crash in the F3000 race at Spa-Francorchamps in 1987. On 15 December 2011, it was announced that he would become team principal of HRT, replacing Colin Kolles.

Personal life Pérez-Sala's nephew, Daniel Juncadella, is also a racing driver, best known for winning the Macau Grand Prix and Spa 24 Hours.

Racing record

Complete International Formula 3000 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pts 1986 Pavesi Racing SIL VAL PAU SPA IMO MUG PER ÖST BIR BUG JAR 4th 24.5 1987 Lola Motorsport SIL VAL SPA PAU DON PER BRH BIR IMO BUG JAR 2nd 33

Complete Formula One results (key) Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points 1988 Lois Minardi Team Minardi M188 Cosworth DFZ V8 BRA SMR MON MEX CAN DET FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS NC 0 1989 Lois Minardi Team Minardi M188B Cosworth DFR V8 BRA SMR MON 28th 1 Minardi M189 MEX USA CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS

Complete Spanish Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Employers
HRT Formula One Team
Also known as
Luis Pérez-Sala Valls-Taberner, Luis Perez-Sala, Luis Perez-Sala Valls-Taberner

People in Luis Pérez-Sala's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Luis Pérez-Sala's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Luis Pérez-Sala?

Spanish racecar driver

When was Luis Pérez-Sala born?

Luis Pérez-Sala was born on 15 May 1959 in Barcelona.

What is Luis Pérez-Sala's occupation?

Luis Pérez-Sala is a racing automobile driver and formula One driver.

What nationality is Luis Pérez-Sala?

Luis Pérez-Sala is Spanish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Luis Pérez-Sala

· Wikidata: Q173379

· DBpedia: Luis Pérez-Sala

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Luis Pérez-Sala. https://biography.guide/luis-perez-sala/

MLA: "Luis Pérez-Sala." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/luis-perez-sala/.

Chicago: "Luis Pérez-Sala." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/luis-perez-sala/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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