Lewis Hamilton’s win streak was brought to a halt in the second Silverstone race of the season, so can the defending world champion make a return to winning ways in this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix?

Hamilton endured something of a nightmare start to the season as he failed to make the podium at the Austrian Grand Prix, but he responded in emphatic fashion over the next three races, turning pole position into victory on each occasion while also completing a pole position/fastest lap/race win treble in Hungary.

However, his most recent victory, in the British Grand Prix, did offer a glimpse of the disappointment that would come in last weekend’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at the Northamptonshire circuit. Hamilton had to contend with a wrecked tire during the final lap of the first race of the Silverstone double-header and had his tyre blown up any earlier he could have been pipped to the chequered flag by Max Verstappen. He held on to win though, but tyre issues plagued him once again a week ago and that presented Verstappen with the opportunity to finally claim his first race win of the season.

Verstappen took it and although he was able to limit the damage by finishing second, Hamilton admitted afterwards that he is ‘keeping an eye’ on the Red Bull man in the race to be crowned world champion this season. If the Dutchman can make it back-to-back wins on Sunday he will certainly send a message to the reigning world champion, but I expect it will be ‘business as usual’ for Hamilton and Mercedes at the Circuit de Catalunya, a track they have dominated at in recent years.

Hamilton has won this race in each of the last three seasons and has turned pole into victory in the last two. He has also recorded the fastest lap in two of those three victories, so I am backing the British star to shine on Saturday and Sunday to get back to winning ways in the best possible fashion.

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. Michael Schumacher is the most successful Formula 1 driver in the history of this circuit, winning the Spanish Grand Prix at Catalunya on no less than six occasions, while Lewis Hamilton is the most successful active driver having won the race in three consecutive seasons between 2017 and 2019 to take his career haul to four Catalunya victories.

Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
Number of Laps: 66
Lap Length: 2.892 miles
Lap Record: Daniel Ricciardo, 1 minute, 18.441 (2018)

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