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Pedro Cueto could have hit the brakes at any time. Like in 2021, when doctors diagnosed the then-six-year-old with a rare bone cancer in his right femur. Or during the 14 rounds of chemotherapy required before his doctors could say there was no more evidence of the disease. Or after two titanium prostheses were surgically implanted to replace most of his femur and stabilize his tibia. Throughout the ordeal, however, the Arvada Formula 1 fanatic continued to push himself toward the finish line.
For Christmas in 2022, his parents rewarded his perseverance with a go-kart—and Cueto quickly put it to good use. Racing up to 35 mph around hairpin turns, Cueto won the next year’s Colorado Karting Tour championship. “I was unbelievably happy,” Cueto says. But despite his success on the track, his leg continued to cause him pain. So in November 2024, doctors amputated the limb above the knee.
Naturally, Cueto refused to let off the gas. His parents rigged his ride with a bike break on the steering wheel that he could use as a hand throttle, and Cueto spent this past summer sprinting up to 65 mph in Italy’s karting series. Now 11, Cueto is set on becoming the world’s first F1 amputee driver, with plans to continue his path toward that goal by racing in Europe and Las Vegas again this year. His advice to those following in his draft? “Don’t worry; it’s going to be OK,” Cueto says. “Just keep pushing.”
