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Formula 1: Looking back at the last five Spanish Grands Prix

By Kevin Nguyen

MONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 14: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO8 on track during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 14, 2017 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
MONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 14: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO8 on track during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 14, 2017 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /
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As the opener of Formula 1’s European season, the Spanish Grand Prix has been the race of firsts and updates. Will it continue in 2018?

For Formula 1 fans, the Spanish Grand Prix marks the beginning of the European season, a three-month period from May to August during which a majority of F1 races take place around Europe, broken up only by the Canadian Grand Prix in June. For teams and drivers, it’s usually the place to get the first major update of the season.

For drivers with poor performances in the early flyaway races, it is a time for redemption. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile) road course has a perfect blend of high-speed and low-speed corners, fast straights, and a mixture of elevation changes, all of which test the limits of an F1 car.

Remind yourselves of what has taken place in the last five Spanish Grands Prix as we prepare for the 2018 edition of the race.

2013

Fernando Alonso’s 2013 triumph is still his last F1 victory and his last Ferrari victory. Alonso also remains the last Spaniard to win in his home race. Starting from fifth, the Spaniard made quick work getting up front, taking the lead for the first time on lap nine. Alonso would split lead duty the rest of way with Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel and Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen.

Over three different stints, Alonso would lead 48 of the race’s 66 laps, including the final 28 laps. The 2013 Spanish Grand Prix wasn’t too exciting with only nine of the grid of 22 drivers finishing on the lead lap and a winning margin of over nine seconds. Despite three retirements due to mechanical problems, there were no safety car periods.

2014

The 2014 race saw the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo hold station for the podium. Hamilton dominated the race, leading 60 of 66 laps, with his teammate Rosberg taking pit and out lap leads. Apart from the Mercedes duel up front, the biggest story of the race was Vettel’s overtaking of the field from P15 to finish P4. The 2014 edition featured even fewer cars finishing on the lead lap. Only the top six managed to stay on the lead lap, further displaying the might of the Mercedes hybrid engine.

2015

While the 2014 race was a Mercedes 1-2 with the slimmest of winning margins of 0.636 seconds in Hamilton’s favor, the 2015 race was a walkover for Rosberg, who won by over 17 seconds over his teammate. The 2015 race was very much a repeat of the 2014 race, just with the Mercedes pair swapping P1 and P2 positions. Vettel, now at Ferrari, started third and finished third. Once more, only the top six cars finished on the lead lap. Unlike the 2014 race, however, there was no hard-charging backmarker into the top positions, the biggest gainer on the day was Romain Grosjean, who started P11 and finished P8.

2016

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This was the race during which Mercedes took themselves out. Mercedes started 1-2 on race day, but a poor start by Hamilton gave Rosberg the lead into turn 1. A quick recovery by Hamilton into turn 3 saw Rosberg cover off his teammate onto the Astroturf, and the Mercedes pair took themselves out of the race before completing a lap to much shock and applause, both on social media and at the circuit. With Mercedes out, it was a four-way battle for the lead between the Red Bull Racing pair of Ricciardo and Max Verstappen and the Ferrari pair of Vettel and Raikkonen. Verstappen emerged victorious after 66 laps, becoming the youngest F1 race winner ever, and Ferrari achieving their first double podium since the Singapore Grand Prix in 2015.

2017

Last year’s Spanish Grand Prix gave us the first real battle between Hamilton and Vettel, with Hamilton able to claim victory. The pair kept the race led mostly between themselves, with Valtteri Bottas leading three laps before an engine issue forced a retirement after 38 laps. Ricciardo’s Red Bull was the only other car to finish on the lead lap. After his inaugural win at the race in 2016, Verstappen’s hopes for a repeat were dashed by a lap 1 crash with Raikkonen.

Next: Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time

With Mercedes expecting a closer battle with Ferrari heading into the European season, who will get the jump on the other in the 2018 edition of the Spanish Grand Prix? We’ll find out on Sunday, May 13.

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