The 4 standout events that occurred during the Spanish F1 Grand Prix

2016: Contact and advent

But everything will not go as planned. The two drivers from the team will engage in a fierce battle for victory. This battle starts on Saturday afternoon, during the qualifying session. Lewis Hamilton secures pole position by nearly three tenths ahead of his German teammate. An opportunity for him to make up for the ground lost in the first races.

The next day, the battle will remain in the memories. Right after the fifth turn of the first lap, when Nico Rosberg had taken the lead, the German closes the door on Lewis Hamilton. The British driver ends up in the grass, loses control of his car, and collides with Nico Rosberg. Both Mercedes cars end up in the gravel pit and will have to retire.

At the same time, a young Dutchman is going to take advantage of this race incident. At the age of 18, and competing in his first race for his new team, Max Verstappen will fight with the two Ferraris. Starting from fourth position, and with the pit stop strategy in play, the Dutchman will go all the way to the end of the Grand Prix, leading the race, and clinching one of the only two victories that have escaped the Silver Arrows.

This collision will remain in memory, even though it didn’t change the championship and Nico Rosberg went on to claim his world champion title.

2012: Pastor Maldonado, the first

The 2012 season was particularly tight, especially at the beginning. The Spanish Grand Prix was no exception. And from Saturday onwards, a twist hits the Barcelona circuit. While Lewis Hamilton had secured pole position, with nearly five tenths of a second advantage, the British driver was disqualified. The reason being that his team allegedly deliberately asked him to stop during the slowdown lap, in order to conserve fuel and pass the weighing test.

The FIA has thus required a disqualification of Lewis Hamilton, who will start last on the grid. Therefore, Pastor Maldonado, the Venezuelan, clinches the first pole position of his career. A remarkable achievement in a struggling Williams, while his teammate Bruno Senna failed to make it into Q2.

Fernando Alonso is right behind Pastor Maldonado. The Spaniard, racing at home, overtakes the Williams driver. However, Ferrari makes a mistake in strategy, loses time, and lets the lead of the race slip to the Venezuelan. The race will be very tight. Fernando Alonso will try to catch up to the Williams. He manages to stay within a second of Maldonado. But the Venezuelan resists the Spaniard’s comeback and goes on to win.

This will be his first and only victory in Formula 1. This win also remains Williams’ last success in the category. Pastor Maldonado became the fifth Grand Prix winner in five races during that 2012 season. In the first seven races, seven drivers had won a race.

Mika Hakkinen, the unlucky one

In 2001, Michael Schumacher dominates the championship. The start of the season was still tight. The German arrived in Barcelona tied in points with David Coulthard and his McLaren. The British driver’s teammate, Mika Hakkinen, had a more difficult start to the season. Four points in four races. A total too low for someone who hoped to regain the world champion title after the ones in 1998 and 1999.

The Finnish driver wants to avenge the title won by Michael Schumacher in 2000. But things don’t go as planned. In Spain, Mika Hakkinen wants to catch up with the German, who seems untouchable and takes pole position.

But in the race, the trend will reverse. Mika Hakkinen will take the lead in the race with pit stops. He will continue to widen the gap, even reaching up to 40 seconds. This lead will remain just as significant in the final lap. Just when it seemed like the Finn was heading towards victory, his car decided otherwise.

In the final lap, his clutch breaks, making it impossible for him to reach the finish line. His hope of victory, and the battle for the championship, will go up in smoke. Michael Schumacher will take first place. Mika Hakkinen, after a season full of disappointments, will take a break in his career. This sabbatical year will turn into a retirement.

2013: Fernando Alonso’s Last Victory

In 2013, Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull were untouchable. Before arriving in Spain, the German had already won two Grand Prix, secured a third place, and was comfortably leading the championship. Fernando Alonso and his Ferrari will not be able to do anything against the domination of the Austrian team.

However, in Spain, at home, despite starting in fifth place, Fernando Alonso will manage to overtake the German very quickly. After thirteen laps of racing, the Spanish driver takes the lead in the pit stops game. The Ferrari driver will maintain this advantage throughout the rest of the Grand Prix to secure his 32nd victory.

Today, the Spanish Grand Prix remains his last victory. This weekend in Barcelona, he will be hoping to add one point to his total.