Born in Barcelona, De la Rosa began his career with radio-controlled cars, winning three consecutive Spanish championships (1983–1985) and two European off-road titles. He transitioned to karting at age 17 before winning the Spanish Formula Fiat Uno title in 1989 and the Spanish Formula Ford 1600 championship in 1990. In 1992, he secured both the European and British Formula Renault championships.
Moving to Japan, he won the Formula Three series in 1995 and finished third at the Macau Grand Prix. In 1997, he achieved a historic double by winning the Formula Nippon Championship and the All-Japan GT Championship, the latter alongside teammate Michael Krumm. He was the first Spanish driver to win a national open-wheel championship in Japan.
After serving as a test driver for Jordan in 1998, De la Rosa debuted for Arrows at the 1999 Australian Grand Prix, scoring a point on debut. He remained with Arrows through 2000, a season documented in the TV series 'Racing Arrows'. He moved to Jaguar Racing for 2001 and 2002, partnering Eddie Irvine, before joining McLaren as a test driver in 2003.
In 2005, he substituted for an injured Juan Pablo Montoya at the Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing fifth and setting a lap record. He took over a full-time seat in 2006 following Montoya's departure, securing his sole podium with a second-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix. During his tenure, he was involved in the 2007 espionage controversy involving Ferrari, providing evidence regarding technical data that contributed to McLaren's exclusion from the Constructors' Championship.
In 2010, he joined Sauber alongside Kamui Kobayashi, scoring his final career points in Hungary before being replaced by Nick Heidfeld. After a stint as a Pirelli tyre tester, he made a one-off appearance for Sauber at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix as a substitute for Sergio Pérez. He spent 2012 with the Spanish HRT team, outqualifying teammate Narain Karthikeyan frequently before the team folded. He concluded his F1 career in a developmental role with Ferrari in 2013 and 2014, focusing on simulator resources.
In 2005, De la Rosa co-founded the Drivex racing team. He served as technical and sporting director for Techeetah during their 2018–19 Formula E championship-winning season. Since 2022, he has served as an ambassador for the Aston Martin Formula One Team. Additionally, he has maintained a long-standing career as a television analyst for Spanish broadcasters including Movistar and DAZN.
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