F1 Spanish GP - The eight times pole didn't win in Barcelona

Verstappen, Spain, 2016 — Photo: © LAT Images

Spanish Grand Prix

F1 Spanish GP - The eight times pole didn't win in Barcelona

A good omen for Leclerc?

Ewan Gale

Sunday 22 May 2022 11:00

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In F1 there is a belief that aside from Monaco, the Hungarian Grand Prix is the most important qualifying session of the year.

Yet despite the narrow twists and turns of the Hungaroring, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya poses even more of a challenge for drivers chasing down the polesitter.

Since the Spanish Grand Prix moved to Montmélo for the 1991 running of the event, 23 of the 31 fastest drivers in qualifying have gone on to win the race, proving a strong omen for Charles Leclerc after his immense performance yesterday.

So how have the lucky eight won after being beaten in qualifying? GPFans takes a look.

1991 - Winner: Nigel Mansell / Pole: Gerhard Berger

If you have seen the clip of Nigel Mansell's Williams wheel-to-wheel with Ayrton Senna's McLaren - as James Hunt's immortal words described - then you will know the Briton went on to win this race.

In wet-dry-wet conditions, Mansell, Senna, Gerhard Berger and Michael Schumacher battled throughout.

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But Senna and Schumacher spun out of contention and Berger retired with a mechanical failure, leaving Mansell to lead home Alain Prost.

1994 - Winner: Damon Hill / Pole: Michael Schumacher

An emotional first win for Williams after the death of Ayrton Senna.

Damon Hill took advantage of a gearbox issue for rival Michael Schumacher to take the chequered flag.

The pair started alongside one another but Hill had too much pace when Schumacher's Benetton jammed into 5th gear. The polesitter miraculously finished the race second.

1996 - Winner: Michael Schumacher / Pole: Damon Hill

It was roles reversed two years later in torrential rain in Spain.

Whilst Hill struggled and eventually crashed out, Schumacher put in a career-defining performance to take victory in an underperforming Ferrari by 45 seconds over Jean Alesi.

2000 - Winner: Mika Hakkinen / Pole: Michael Schumacher

Schumacher did not put a foot wrong in leading from the start in 2000 but when making his pit-stop, the lollipop man gave the signal to leave the box before the fuel hose had been detached.

The German lost time whilst the hose was removed and mechanic Nigel Stepney was attended to after being dragged with the Ferrari. It allowed Hakkinen to lead home a McLaren one-two from David Coulthard.

2011 - Winner: Sebastian Vettel / Pole: Mark Webber

Sebastian Vettel qualified second to Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber despite a KERS issue in qualifying in 2011 but made amends on race day.

Fernando Alonso jumped from fourth to first at the start but faded after the first round of stops. Whilst Vettel stretched clear to win, polesitter Webber was unable to get past Alonso and eventually finished P4.

2013 - Winner: Fernando Alonso / Pole: Nico Rosberg

Whilst Mercedes showed impressive pace in qualifying to lock out the front row of the grid, it was Alonso again who made the move at the start.

This time, the Spaniard pitted four times to eventual second-placed finisher Kimi Raikkonen's three to clinch his latest F1 win to date. Rosberg finished sixth after tyre issues plagued his race.

2016 - Winner: Max Verstappen / Pole: Lewis Hamilton

We think everyone knows what happened here.

Rosberg overtook team-mate Lewis Hamilton into turn one but had an engine de-rate through turn three. The Briton made a move to the inside of turn four, got squeezed and rotated into the German, sending both crashing out in spectacular fashion.

Max Verstappen, in his first race with Red Bull, held off a Raikkonen charge with outstanding maturity to clinch his maiden F1 win, becoming the youngest driver to do so.