1991 – Wheel-to-wheel at 190mph
F1's first visit to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 1991 provided one of the sport's most iconic images, as title rivals Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna duelled for position down the main straight. With neither willing to concede ground, the two were separated by just millimetres as they braked for the first corner early in the race, with Mansell ultimately squeezing past the Brazilian. As a wet track began to dry, Senna got ahead of Mansell as the two changed onto slick tyres, but the Brazilian would make a rare mistake a few laps later, spinning at the final corner and losing several places. Meanwhile, Mansell took the lead from Senna's McLaren teammate Gerhard Berger on Lap 21, and would remain there until the flag to take one of his finest wins and keep his slim title hopes alive. By contrast, Senna would finish only fifth on a rare off day for the Brazilian.
1996 – Schumacher's rain dance
Torrential rain greeted the teams and drivers on race day at Barcelona in 1996, setting the stage for a typically dominant performance from Michael Schumacher. Starting third on the grid in a Ferrari that had no business being near the front, a clutch problem off the line saw the German lose several positions, with Jacques Villeneuve setting the early pace. However, Schumacher soon found his mojo and set about passing cars with consummate ease, frequently finding grip where others feared to tread. By Lap 11, he had overtaken Villeneuve for the lead, and soon set about establishing his superiority in appalling conditions, lapping up to five seconds quicker than the chasing pack to take his first win for Ferrari. The German would ultimately win 71 more Grands Prix for the Scuderia, but his first was unquestionably one of his finest.
2001 – Heartbreak for Hakkinen
Coming into the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix, Mika Hakkinen had had a rotten start to the season. Having won the 1998 and 1999 titles, and having run Schumacher close in 2000, the Finn had just four points to his name by the time the F1 circus rolled around to Spain. But having won the previous three races in Barcelona, Hakkinen found his groove again and dominated proceedings in Spain, leading by as much as 40 seconds and looking set to kick-start his stuttering season. Alas for the Finn, an engine failure on the very last lap brought his McLaren to a juddering halt, and Schumacher snuck through for one of his luckier wins. Hakkinen would have to wait until the British Grand Prix six races later for his first win of 2001, and announced at the end of the year that he would take a sabbatical from F1, which later turned into full-time retirement.
2012 – Maldonado's day in the sun
The 2012 was one of the most open seasons in F1 history, with a different winner in each of the year's first seven races. But surely not even the most optimistic observer would have dared to suggest that Williams' Pastor Maldonado, who had hitherto achieved little in F1, would be a likely victor in Spain. After surprising all by qualifying second in Barcelona, Maldonado inherited pole position after Lewis Hamilton was demoted to the back of the grid for a fuel irregularity. Though he lost out at the start to local hero Fernando Alonso, Maldonado regained the lead after the pit stops when the Spaniard was delayed passing backmarkers. Showing great maturity for one not familiar with the sharp end of Grand Prix racing, Maldonado held off Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen to take an unlikely but well deserved maiden Grand Prix win. The unlikely nature of the result was exemplified by the fact that the Venezuelan would never again step on an F1 podium in five years in the sport.
2016 – Verstappen's dream debut
Heading into the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, much of the paddock gossip centred on the fact that Red Bull had elected to promote hot-shot Max Verstappen from Toro Rosso to Red Bull, with Daniil Kvyat heading in the opposite direction. However, that announcement paled in comparison with how Verstappen's Red Bull debut would play out. Mercedes were dominant in 2016, with the only real interest in many races centring on whether it would be Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg winning. But the Silver Arrows' best-laid plans in Barcelona came to nought on Lap 1, when their two drivers took each other out as they jostled for position at Turn 4. With the race blown wide open, Verstappen settled into second place behind teammate Daniel Ricciardo, but with the Dutchman making only two stops to Ricciardo's three, he found himself leading by Lap 44. Having never previously led a Grand Prix, Verstappen successfully held off the threat from Raikkonen, always managing to stay ahead despite the Ferrari being in DRS range, and took a scarcely believable first Grand Prix win on his Red Bull debut.
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