We searched the archives and here are 8 important things and facts race fans must know about the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix.
1. The first Spanish Grand Prix was held in 1951 on the Pedralbes street circuit in Barcelona. The race has subsequently been held at Barcelona's Montjuich Park, Jerez, Jarama before moving to the Circuit de Catalunya in 1991, where it has remained ever since.
2. In 1981, Gilles Villeneuve kept five close rivals behind him to win the race. During the second half of the race, Villeneuve used the power of his Ferrari turbo engine on the straights to stay ahead of the pack. Villeneuve, Jacques Laffite, John Watson, Carlos Reutemann and Elio de Angelis crossed the finish covered by just 1.24 second!
3. In 1994, Michael Schumacher (Benetton-Ford) finished a strong second, despite being stuck in fifth gear for most of the race. Schumacher used his World Sports Car experience to modify his driving style to find new trajectories and corner apexes.
4. The biggest winning margin in a Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya was in 1995 when Michael Schumacher led home Benetton team mate Johnny Herbert by 51.988 seconds.
5. The smallest winning margin came in 2011 when Sebastian Vettel pipped Lewis Hamilton by just 0.630 seconds.
6. Several drivers stepped onto an F1 podium for the first time at the Spanish Grand Prix - Luigi Musso (in 1954), Brian Redman (1968), Mario Andretti (1970), George Follmer (1973), Gunnar Nilsson (1976), Johnny Herbert (1995), Juan Pablo Montoya (2001) and Pastor Maldonado (2012).
7. In 1986 at Jerez de le Frontera, Nigel Mansell pitted for fresh tires and charged back, making up over 19 seconds in the final 10 laps of the race. It was not quite sufficient to take the win, but it was very close with Ayrton Senna beating Mansell by just 0.014 second.
8. The 1969 Spanish Grand Prix was the last ever race featuring Formula 1 cars with the "high-wing", the two Lotus cars suffered massive rear wing failures with drivers Jochen Rindt and Graham Hill lucky to escape with their lives.
1. The first Spanish Grand Prix was held in 1951 on the Pedralbes street circuit in Barcelona. The race has subsequently been held at Barcelona's Montjuich Park, Jerez, Jarama before moving to the Circuit de Catalunya in 1991, where it has remained ever since.
2. In 1981, Gilles Villeneuve kept five close rivals behind him to win the race. During the second half of the race, Villeneuve used the power of his Ferrari turbo engine on the straights to stay ahead of the pack. Villeneuve, Jacques Laffite, John Watson, Carlos Reutemann and Elio de Angelis crossed the finish covered by just 1.24 second!
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| Michael Schumacher, Benetton-Ford, 1994 (Photo: WRI2) |
3. In 1994, Michael Schumacher (Benetton-Ford) finished a strong second, despite being stuck in fifth gear for most of the race. Schumacher used his World Sports Car experience to modify his driving style to find new trajectories and corner apexes.
4. The biggest winning margin in a Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya was in 1995 when Michael Schumacher led home Benetton team mate Johnny Herbert by 51.988 seconds.
5. The smallest winning margin came in 2011 when Sebastian Vettel pipped Lewis Hamilton by just 0.630 seconds.
6. Several drivers stepped onto an F1 podium for the first time at the Spanish Grand Prix - Luigi Musso (in 1954), Brian Redman (1968), Mario Andretti (1970), George Follmer (1973), Gunnar Nilsson (1976), Johnny Herbert (1995), Juan Pablo Montoya (2001) and Pastor Maldonado (2012).
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| Ayrton Senna - Nigel Mansell, 1986 (Photo: WRI2) |
7. In 1986 at Jerez de le Frontera, Nigel Mansell pitted for fresh tires and charged back, making up over 19 seconds in the final 10 laps of the race. It was not quite sufficient to take the win, but it was very close with Ayrton Senna beating Mansell by just 0.014 second.
8. The 1969 Spanish Grand Prix was the last ever race featuring Formula 1 cars with the "high-wing", the two Lotus cars suffered massive rear wing failures with drivers Jochen Rindt and Graham Hill lucky to escape with their lives.