Barcelona Grand Prix

Spain's inaugural grand prix was won on public roads outside San Sebastián, by a Rolls-Royce no less.

The first Spanish Grand Prix took place on the Guipúzcoa circuit near Lasarte, outside San Sebastián, in 1913. It was a raw, pre-war affair on public roads, won by Carlos de Salamanca driving a Rolls-Royce. The race returned sporadically through the 1920s and 1930s, attracting the great names of European motorsport to the Basque Country.

Fangio claimed victory at the inaugural 1951 race; it returned briefly in 1954 before vanishing from the calendar for years.

The Spanish Grand Prix joined the Formula 1 World Championship in 1951, held on the Pedralbes street circuit along the wide Avenida Diagonal in Barcelona. Juan Manuel Fangio won that inaugural championship race, and the race returned in 1954 with Mike Hawthorn taking victory for Ferrari. The Pedralbes layout was fast and unforgiving, and after 1954 the race disappeared from the calendar for over a decade.

Spectacular but lethal, Montjuïc's street circuit through a Barcelona hillside park was shut down permanently after a fatal accident claimed spectators in 1975.

After a 15-year absence, the Spanish Grand Prix returned in 1968 at the Jarama circuit near Madrid, then alternated with the Montjuïc Park street circuit in Barcelona. Montjuïc was spectacular but dangerous, threading through a public park on the hill above the city. A fatal accident involving spectators in 1975 ended racing there permanently, and Jarama became the sole host until 1981.

Senna took the inaugural Jerez race by fourteen thousandths of a second; margins do not come finer.

After a five-year gap, the Spanish Grand Prix moved south to the newly built Circuito de Jerez in 1986. Ayrton Senna won the inaugural race there by just 0.014 seconds from Nigel Mansell, one of the closest finishes in F1 history. Jerez hosted the race until 1990 and later staged the European Grand Prix in 1994 and 1997, but its time as Spain's primary F1 venue was brief.

Purpose-built for speed and precision, Catalunya became the sport's favourite classroom almost the moment Mansell crossed its finishing line.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya opened in Montmeló in 1991, purpose-built to host the Spanish Grand Prix and designed to meet modern safety standards. Nigel Mansell won the first race there, and the circuit quickly established itself as one of the most technically demanding on the calendar. Its mix of high-speed sweeps, tight chicanes, and varied elevation made it the default choice for pre-season testing.

Schumacher's Ferrari was nowhere near the quickest car that day; he lapped almost everyone regardless.

The 1996 Spanish Grand Prix is remembered as one of the great wet-weather drives. Michael Schumacher, in a Ferrari that was far from the best car on the grid, lapped the entire field bar the top two in torrential rain. It was a masterclass that signalled what was to come. Schumacher would go on to win the Spanish Grand Prix six times, a record he shares with Lewis Hamilton.

Eight years of silence, broken by the one driver nobody had on their bingo card.

The 2012 Spanish Grand Prix produced one of the most surprising results in the sport's history. Pastor Maldonado won for Williams, the team's first victory since 2004 and Maldonado's only career win. It was a reminder that Barcelona, for all its reputation as a processional circuit, could still spring a shock. The weekend was also notable for Fernando Alonso's passionate home support, with tens of thousands of Spanish fans turning the grandstands into a sea of colour.

At just 18, Verstappen inherited chaos and turned it into history; his record as the youngest winner in F1 still stands.

The 2016 Spanish Grand Prix became an instant classic. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, locked in a bitter title fight, collided on the opening lap and both retired. Max Verstappen, just 18 years old and racing his first grand prix for Red Bull after a mid-season promotion from Toro Rosso, swept through to win. He became the youngest ever F1 race winner, a record that still stands.

After thirty-plus years, Montmeló's reign ends and Madrid inherits the Spanish Grand Prix.

After more than three decades at Montmeló, the Spanish Grand Prix is set to relocate to Madrid from 2026. A new purpose-built circuit around the IFEMA trade fair complex will host the race under a long-term deal. The move marks the end of Barcelona-Catalunya's unbroken run as the home of Spanish F1, and the beginning of a new era for the grand prix in the Spanish capital. The Madrid circuit promises a modern, urban setting designed to attract a new generation of fans.