5 Interesting Incidents at the Spanish Grand Prix

A new Grand Prix kicks off this weekend. The fifth of the Formula 1 season, the Spanish Grand Prix will begin this Friday, the 8thof May, at the Circuitde Barcelona-Catalunya in the municipality of Montmelo in Barcelona. It will begin with the practice sessions and qualifiers on Friday and Saturday, and the main race on Sunday the 10th In the week leading up to the race, here are some interesting facts about the race and those who have

#1 Senna v. Mansell

The year: 1986. The racing track at Jerez had just been completed. The inaugural race was set to begin. Two icons raged against their engines fighting for top spot. The latter half of the race was in essence a 3 car battle betwen Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, who was then the reigning World Champion.

The Briton and the Brazilian drove the end of the race side by side.. until Senna won, beating Mansell by 0.014 seconds; one of the closest ever finishes in Formula 1 history. Nigel Mansell jokingly said the 15 points for the winner should be split

#2 Alonso\'s first win at home

Alonso celebrates after winning the Spanish Grand Prix at Catalunya in 2006

By then one of the youngest rising champions in Formula one, Fernando Alonso had been denied the Spanish Grand Prix in 2005 by Kimi Raikkonen. He came second that race, as he had done in 2003

The following year, however, driving for Renault, everything seemed to fall into place for the Spaniard, who beat out Michael Schumacher and Alonso’s own Italian teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, for the title. He celebrated his first home win by dancing on the podium.

#3 Mansell and Senna at it again!

At the 1991 Grand Prix, by then being held at the Circuit de Catalunya (its current venue), Nigel Mansell was racing injured. The inaugural race at Catalunya began with Senna and Gerhard Berger in the lead, Alesi, Mansell and Schumacher on his tail. Schumacher took third place from Mansell, who managed to force his way back past Schumacher, going side by side with Senna for first again. Mansell and Senna, driving side by side, set off the sparks that by now are a common feature of F1 races – except then, they were not intentional.

Mansell, however, emerged the victor this time. Senna was unable to make the podium, following a dramatic drop from second to fifth as his tyres spun.

#4 Michael Schumacher, 1996

Schumacher, driving for Ferrari with minimal visibility. He went on to win.

Regarded as one of Formula 1’s finest races in history, 1996 was especially iconic for a certain man named Michael Schumacher. The track and riders were blinded by a torrential downpour. Schumacher, who was on a high while riding with Benetton, had just moved to Ferrari, which at the time was at a less-than-stellar stage in terms of performance. The win through absolutely taxing conditions earned him the nickname Regenmeister or “rain master”.

Michael, who began the race at 3rd, held massive leads against the other drivers – often 2 or 3 seconds. Registering his first win for Ferrari, Michael finished a whopping 45 seconds ahead of Frenchman Jean Alesi, who was, funnily enough, driving for Benetton – a spot made empty by Schumacher himself the previous year.

#5 Pastor Maldonado Wins?

Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela and Williams celebrating his 2012 win in Spain

He has several nicknames, none of which are flattering to him. There is a website dedicated to tracking whether Maldonado has crashed recently or not.

Often described as ‘F1’s crash test dummy’ for the many crashes he has suffered over the years in his racing career. However, driving for Williams in 2012 was a different Maldonado. This one did everything right from the get go. With Fernando Alonso in the lead, Maldonado closely followed the Spaniard until the end, winning the race and bringing pride to beleaguered team Williams, for whom this had been the first victory in 8 years. Following that win, however, a fire broke out in the Williams garage..a fire from which Maldonado rescued his injured cousin, placing him on his back and carrying him to safety.

While his star seems to have faded, and faded fast since, with him earning the nickname ‘Crashtor’, it still remains an iconic win, both for Maldonado and Williams.

Edited by Staff Editor