This race is one of the oldest in Formula 1, having celebrated its centenary back in 2013. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix since it was built in 1991, while this race has been consistently part of the F1 calendar since the mid-80s. The track was constructed to coincide with Barcelona staging the Olympic Games in 1992.
Jackie Stewart and Nigel Mansell both have a hat-trick of F1 Spanish Grand Prix wins, with Lewis Hamilton securing two better with five. Since it has been part of the F1 schedule, this race has only been won twice by a Spanish driver. Both of those going to Fernando Alonso in 2006 and 2013.
The race’s most successful driver is Michael Schumacher, who won once for Benetton and five times for Ferrari.
Next Race: Sunday, 9th May 2021
The Spanish Grand Prix will next race on 9th May 2021. Tips will be added shortly before qualifying starts.
Last Race: 16th August 2020
- Winner: Lewis Hamilton
- Team: Mercedes
- Total Time: 1:31:45.279
- Margin: 24.177
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Map
Spanish Grand Prix Betting Tips
Note: The following tips are from the 2020 grand prix. Tips for next year will be added the week of the race.
After two thrilling races at Silverstone in England, Formula One moves to Spain this weekend for the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix from the famous Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Red Bull man Max Verstappen picked up a somewhat surprise but ultimately deserved win in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone last week, beating Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to the line. Red Bull picked up the most points too, as Alex Albon took fifth place, although any suggestion the fight for constructor glory is likely to be a close one is a bit premature just yet.
Sunday’s race in Spain will no doubt be different from what has gone before, but what is the same is that the current Drivers’ World Championship champion Hamilton heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the odds-on favourite to pick up his fourth race win of the season. Can teammate Bottas stop him in his tracks? Will Verstappen build on last weekend’s superb win at Silverstone to close the gap to the Brit?
Max Verstappen Top 3 Finish – 1/2
It was a frustrating Grand Prix for the Mercedes pair last weekend, as both Hamilton and Bottas suffered tyre difficulties once again. Team Red Bull and Verstappen took full advantage to win on British ground and stop, or at least put up some resistance, to what has been a Mercedes juggernaut thus far.
Max has made a solid start to this season, picking up podium finishes in Styria, Hungary and twice in Britain. The Dutchman has finished second and first in his last two Grands Prix and sits second in the standings after five races, sandwiched by the two Mercedes drivers.
Despite his stunning form, Verstappen will struggle to get the better of Hamilton in Spain this weekend. Nevertheless, the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix winner could face a fierce battle with Bottas for second place in Barcelona. You can get 1/2 for Verstappen to finish in the top three and with wind in his sails and a growing consistency, that looks a very solid bet.
Lewis Hamilton Win – 1/2
Only the great Michael Schumacher has won more Spanish Grands Prix than Hamilton. The German won six times in Spain, while Lewis has four victories to his name ahead of Sunday’s showdown in Barcelona. The British man has dominated this race in recent times, though, winning in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Lewis’ first win in Spain came six years ago in the 2014 season and we fully expect him to move closer to Schumacher this weekend.
Of course, Hamilton was the strong favourite to win the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix on his home track last time out, but Red Bull outsmarted and outpaced the Mercedes pair. However, Hamilton’s team will have been working tirelessly, even in the short period of time between races, to improve things and we are backing the Brit to be back on top of the podium this Sunday. Hamilton is short at just 1/2 for the win but given his record that seems decent value.
Daniel Ricciardo Points Finish – 2/5
Daniel Ricciardo has had an up and down kind of season thus far but he’s our third tip, another short-priced selection that we are super-confident about. The Australian ace started the campaign with a retirement before finishing in the points in the following three Grand Prix rounds. The Renault man, who last won a GP in Monaco in 2018, picked up fourth place at the British Grand Prix but could only manage 12th spot at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix last weekend.
On his day, Ricciardo is more than capable of ruffling a few feathers. The Aussie will be joining McLaren for next season, but he will still want to pick up the points for Renault this term. After missing out last time, we fancy Ricciardo to finish in the points positions this Sunday and he looks another very solid option at odds of 2/5.
Spanish Grand Prix Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Team | Time | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:31:45.279 | 24.177 |
| 2019 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:35:50.443 | 4.074 |
| 2018 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:35:29.972 | 20.593 |
| 2017 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:35:56.497 | 3.490 |
| 2016 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:41:40.017 | 0.616 |
| 2015 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:41:12.555 | 17.551 |
| 2014 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:41:05.155 | 0.636 |
| 2013 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:39:16.596 | 9.338 |
| 2012 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 1:39:09.145 | 3.195 |
| 2011 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 1:39:03.301 | 0.630 |
About the Spanish Grand Prix
The Spanish Grand Prix was first held in 1913 and made it’s debut as an official championship race in 1965. The host track has been at a number of different places over the years, including that of Lasarte, Pedralbes, Jarama and Jerez, to name but a few.
But, since 1991 it’s been held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and now is the spiritual home of formula 1 racing within the country. It’s now very much a staple of the European swing in the F2 calendar and one that the majority of the drivers love to visit for both the track and the culture that’s on offer.
TRACK HIGHLIGHTS
The 4.6km track is a mix of high and low speed corners, plus an abrasive surface, which means that tyre wear is high and very demanding on the cars. Built as part of the development program for the 1992 Olympics, the circuit rewards well-balanced set ups, with the best passing opportunity coming from the run down to turn 1. It also has three DRS zones, which is the most of any circuit on the calendar.
Drivers are familiar with the layout, due to the extensive testing done here in preseason, but the track is still a big challenge. Whilst many people argue that drivers know it too well, the intricate nature of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya still makes for exciting races.
The run down to turn 1 sees a big elevation change and the cars drop from around 300kmph down to just 120kmph at the entry phase. The downhill layout of the track in this section means that it’s often hard to nail your breaking zone, which as a result, makes it a popular passing point.
Turn 2 is just a positioner to make sure that the driver gets the best line possible for the high speed turn 3. Any driver that gets close to flat through turn 3 gets a badge of honour for bravery, given the limited grip and extreme G Force that comes into play.
Turn 4 is very similar to turn 3 and the drivers are carrying a lot of speed into the corner and also out of the corner as well. As a result, the physical challenges of the racetrack really start to take their toll on the driver and they are tested as much as this track than any other throughout the course of the season.
Turn 5 is a long hairpin and the full focus of the driver is required to try and position the car in order to get the best drive out of the corner. The apex is actually quite small considering the size of the corner, so several lines can be taken here.
As a driver, they are always looking for little reference points on the racetrack to give you cues on when to brake and also when it turns into the corners, with Spain having a plentiful amount throughout the track.
Turn 9 is one of the biggest corners on the racetrack. Cars are carrying speeds of over 240kmph here and using as much as the kerb as they are allowed before running down the back straight and into turn 10.
Turn 10 is a tight corner and is the start of the more intricate final section. It’s actually quite a frustrating part of the track for drivers as speeds are so slow that downforce is massively reduced. This means that the cars are going to start sliding around the track a lot more than in the early and middle stages of the track.
The penultimate turn is the “S” bends and the kerbs here have actually been increased in size to try and deter drivers from cutting so much of it off. Again, speed is built up through the last turn and then fly out of the corner in an almost slingshot action back along the pit straight and over the start/finish line.
HISTORY
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Whilst the origins of the Spanish Grand Prix date back to as late as 1913, the current circuit has only been in operation since 1991. The construction of the track was to coincide with the 1992 Olympic games that were being hosted in Barcelona that year. The circuit was actually used for the start/finish line in the cycling events and is one of only a handful of tracks to have formed an association with the Olympics.
1991 – SENNA V MANSELL
The 1991 Spanish Grand Prix was one of the most competitive at the Barcelona based track. It included some of the greats of motor racing such as Mansell, Prost, Senna, Schumacher, Brundle, Alesi and Patrese. But, it was the duel between that of Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna that really got the crowd excited.
It was Mansell who set about chasing down Senna for second place at the time on an incredibly slippery track. They pair went wheel to wheel, with just millimetres in it heading down the entire pit straight, in what was one of the most iconic scenes in F1 history. Mansell came out on top, breaking a little later than Senna and ended up going on to win the race, beating Alain Prost into second place.