Defending F1 champion Max Verstappen will be looking to make it three wins in succession when he takes to the track at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
Lewis Hamilton has won the last five races at the Spanish Grand Prix, but I cannot see him taking it to six.
The Mercedes driver seems more interested in getting involved with Premier League football side Chelsea than finding out why his car is performing like a second-hand Fiat Punto.
The former world champion has yet to win a race in the 2022 campaign. He sits down in sixth position with just 36 points and is being outperformed by team-mate George Russell.
Defending champion Max Verstappen is finding his form once again. He has won the last two races in Miami and Imola and has won three of the first five races of the season.
He is in second place on the league standings despite having more victories than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The Monaco-born driver has two wins to his name, but he has only failed to finish on the podium in one race this season and that was in Imola.
The battle to win the Spanish Grand Prix will definitely be between Verstappen and Leclerc, and I am backing the Red Bull racer to show his champion class by taking the chequered flag and put him in pole position to win back-to-back world titles.
Getting back to Mercedes, Hamilton might be struggling but fellow Brit Russell is loving his time at his new team. He has yet to win a race, but he claimed his first podium of the campaign at the Australian Grand Prix.
I expect him to push Verstappen and Leclerc all the way in Spain and get back on the podium alongside the leading two. Russell will keep both Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz Jnr at arm’s length and boost his chances of a top-three finish overall this season.
Circuit Guide
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was first opened back in 1991 and that same year it hosted the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time. It has hosted this race ever since and it also serves as the track for winter testing, meaning drivers and teams are very familiar with the track. Since it was first opened the course has undergone alterations and the 2.892-mile track now features one of the longest straights in Formula 1 as well as a variety of different corners that can prove to be challenging when conditions are windy. Lewis Hamilton made it five wins in succession at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2021 to take his victory tally in Catalunya to six. That win saw him go level with Michael Schumacher for the most wins at this track. He will need to improve his car if he is ever going to take that record on his own.
Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
Number of Laps: 66
Lap Length: 2.892 miles
Lap Record: Max Verstappen, 1 minute, 18.149 (2021)
Spanish Grand Prix Winners
YEAR | WINNER | TEAM | CIRCUIT |
1913 | Carlos de Salamanca | Rolls-Royce | Guadarrama |
1923 | Alberto Divo | Sunbeam | Sitges-Terramar |
1926 | Bartolomeo Costantini | Bugatti | Lasarte |
1927 | Robert Benoist | Delage | Lasarte |
1928 | Louis Chiron | Bugatti | Lasarte |
1929 | Louis Chiron | Bugatti | Lasarte |
1933 | Louis Chiron | Alfa Romeo | Lasarte |
1934 | Luigi Fagioli | Mercedes-Benz | Lasarte |
1935 | Rudolf Caracciola | Mercedes-Benz | Lasarte |
1951 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Alfa Romeo | Pedralbes |
1954 | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | Pedralbes |
1967 | Jim Clark | Lotus-Cosworth | Jarama |
1968 | Graham Hill | Lotus-Ford | Jarama |
1969 | Jackie Stewart | Matra-Ford | Montjuic |
1970 | Jackie Stewart | March-Ford | Jarama |
1971 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrell-Ford | Montjuic |
1972 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus-Ford | Jarama |
1973 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus-Ford | Montjuic |
1974 | Niki Lauda | Ferrara | Jarama |
1975 | Jochen Mass | McLaren-Ford | Jarama |
1976 | James Hunt | McLaren-Ford | Jarama |
1977 | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | Jarama |
1978 | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | Jarama |
1979 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier-Ford | Jarama |
1980 | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | Jarama |
1981 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | Jarama |
1986 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | Jerez |
1987 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | Jerez |
1988 | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | Jerez |
1989 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | Jerez |
1990 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | Jerez |
1991 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Renault | Catalunya |
1992 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Renault | Catalunya |
1993 | Alain Prost | Williams-Renault | Catalunya |
1994 | Damon Hill | Williams-Renault | Catalunya |
1995 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton-Renault | Catalunya |
1996 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | Catalunya |
1997 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams-Renault | Catalunya |
1998 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | Catalunya |
1999 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | Catalunya |
2000 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | Catalunya |
2001 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | Catalunya |
2002 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | Catalunya |
2003 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | Catalunya |
2004 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | Catalunya |
2005 | Kimi Raikkonen | McLaren | Catalunya |
2006 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | Catalunya |
2007 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | Catalunya |
2008 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | Catalunya |
2009 | Jenson Button | Brawn | Catalunya |
2010 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | Catalunya |
2011 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | Catalunya |
2012 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | Catalunya |
2013 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | Catalunya |
2014 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Catalunya |
2015 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | Catalunya |
2016 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Catalunya |
2017 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Catalunya |
2018 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Catalunya |
2019 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Catalunya |
2020 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Catalunya |
2021 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Catalunya |
Latest Offers
Min deposit £/€/$10 • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £/€/$10 • Min odds 1/2 (1.50) • Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days • Free Bet stakes not included in returns • Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days • To withdraw bonus/related wins, wager the bonus amount 40 times within 14 days • Casino Bonus expires after 60 days • Withdrawal restrictions, payment methods, country & Full T&C’s apply.
- Welcome Bonus
NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY. 5P MINIMUM STAKE. 3 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS EXCLUDE VIRTUALS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+. BEGAMBLEAWARE.ORG
T&C’s Apply. New customers on mobile only. 7 days to claim and stake £10 minimum bet at odds of 1.5 or greater to qualify. Free, void, cashed out or partially cashed out bets do not qualify. Max 3x £10 free bets credited on bet settlement. Free bets must be used on 4 or more selections with selection odds of 1.3 or greater. Free bets are non-withdrawable and stake not returned with winnings. 7 day expiry. 18+ BeGambleAware.org.
New customers & 18+ only. Min. deposit of £/€10. Qualifying real money bet of £/€10. Min odds greater than or equal to 1.5 required. E/W bets excluded. Offer credited within 48 hours. Additional T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
New customers only. 18+, BeGambleAware.org. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus. Wagering requirements: Sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), Casino 25x. Only one bonus can be used at a time, Sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the Casino, unless the bonus has been forfeited. Bonus will expire after 7 days of opt-in. Further T&C’s apply.
18+ only. New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £50* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you five times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. BeGambleAware.org. *or currency equivalent.
Wager the bonus amount 5x within 7 days on Sports to release your Bonus. Bonus equal to 200% of qualifying deposit - up to £200. Bonus credited in real money without wagering requirements.
*New members. £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook, placed & settled at 1.5 min odds between 00.01 14/03/22 and 17.30 17/03/22. 4 x £10 Free Bet Tokens: accept before 17.30 17/03/22, valid for 7 days from crediting (ex. E/Ws & Multiples), stakes not returned. Click here for Rules & Exclusions. Bet Responsibly.
New customer offer. Max £/€10 refund. Sportsbook only. Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.