Over the course of 35 years, Barcelona has brought electric Formula 1 action to the unmistakably passionate Spanish fans, who\u2019ve been fortunate enough to witness Michael Schumacher\u2019s first win with Ferrari, Fernando Alonso\u2019s first home victory, and Max Verstappen becoming the youngest race winner.<\/p>\n
The racing has given fans memories to last a lifetime, but the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya also has something of a habit for producing moments away from the racing that stay with us just as long.<\/p>\n
Here are eight viral off-track moments from Barcelona that we won\u2019t be forgetting any time soon…<\/p>\n
2024: A Lewis lookalike<\/p>\n
We reckon Lewis Hamilton<\/a> has had his fair share of surreal moments over the years, but this moment from the Spanish Grand Prix in 2024 was certainly one of them, as he came face to face with… himself?<\/p>\n A Hamilton lookalike \u2013 aptly dubbed \u201cLewisn\u2019t\u201d by fans \u2013 had been clocked in the grandstands by broadcasters a few times, but it wasn\u2019t until the man himself spotted him whilst on the fan stage that the moment became viral. Hamilton\u2019s reaction was everything, and it\u2019s safe to say he loved the fact he had a doppelganger. But could \u2018Lewisn\u2019t\u2019 pass a seat fitting? Perhaps not!<\/p>\n 2012: Pastor\u2019s podium celebrations<\/p>\n Nobody saw it coming, perhaps least of all Williams<\/a> themselves. Pastor Maldonado had taken a surprise pole position at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, as he pipped home favourite Fernando Alonso<\/a>, though few expected it to translate into a race win, given the team\u2019s form at the time.<\/p>\n But an inspired Maldonado had other ideas. The Venezuelan executed a perfectly timed undercut during the first pit stops to leapfrog Alonso and hold on to take victory \u2013 and Williams\u2019 first win in over seven years.<\/p>\n The podium celebrations were an absolute joy to witness. Alonso and third-placed Kimi Raikkonen<\/a> hoisted Maldonado on to their shoulders, and with the win landing around Frank Williams\u2019 70th birthday, it was the perfect gift for the racing legend.<\/p>\n 2001: Heartbreaking hitchhike for Hakkinen<\/p>\n Few moments in Spanish Grand Prix history are quite as heartbreaking as this. Mika Hakkinen<\/a> began the final lap of the 2001 race with an impressive 42-second lead over championship rival Michael Schumacher<\/a>, with his first win of the season for the taking. But midway through Turn 3, his McLaren<\/a> had other ideas.<\/p>\n A hydraulic leak had caused clutch failure, and white smoke poured out the back of his car, forcing Hakkinen to stop entirely \u2013 and watch helplessly as Schumacher swept past him to take victory.<\/p>\n Despite the heartache, the 1998 and 1999 World Champion waved graciously to the crowd and hitched a ride back to parc ferme on the sidepod of team mate David Coulthard\u2019s car whilst he was on a cool-down lap. It’s an image that has stayed with F1 fans ever since \u2013 and undoubtedly with Hakkinen himself too.<\/p>\n 2017: Meet your heroes \u2013 Raikkonen edition<\/p>\n When Raikkonen retired from the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix, the TV cameras turned to a young fan in full Ferrari<\/a> kit who seemed totally inconsolable in the grandstands \u2013 and the heartbreaking image clearly struck a chord with Raikkonen himself too. Somewhere beneath that famously cool exterior, something thawed and Raikkonen invited the boy to the Ferrari hospitality suite, turning the worst day of the young fan’s weekend into the best.<\/p>\n We learned this race weekend that Kimi does have a softer side \u2013 and on this occasion, we reckon it\u2019s a pretty good thing to meet your heroes.<\/p>\n 2018: Meet your heroes \u2013 Alonso edition<\/p>\n Just a year later, another young fan caught the attention of the home hero. Footage of a boy’s enthusiastic celebrations when Alonso made it through to Q3 made its way onto social media, and the Spaniard was quick to spot it.<\/p>\n Alonso responded to the tweet, inviting the youngster to the paddock on race day, where he gifted his hat and posed for photos. The best was still to come, though, as the young fan was also given the chance to sit in the cockpit of Alonso\u2019s McLaren, and by all accounts, it suited him quite well.<\/p>\n Alonso\u2019s P8 finish in the race wasn\u2019t a bad way to round off what must\u2019ve been the greatest weekend of that kid\u2019s life either.<\/p>\n 2025: Carlos \u2018Sainz\u2019 a baby<\/p>\n