Over the course of 35 years, Barcelona has brought electric Formula 1 action to the unmistakably passionate Spanish fans, who’ve been fortunate enough to witness Michael Schumacher’s first win with Ferrari, Fernando Alonso’s first home victory, and Max Verstappen becoming the youngest race winner.
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.
Here are eight viral off-track moments from Barcelona that we won’t be forgetting any time soon…
2024: A Lewis lookalike
We reckon Lewis Hamilton 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?
A Hamilton lookalike – aptly dubbed “Lewisn’t” by fans – had been clocked in the grandstands by broadcasters a few times, but it wasn’t until the man himself spotted him whilst on the fan stage that the moment became viral. Hamilton’s reaction was everything, and it’s safe to say he loved the fact he had a doppelganger. But could ‘Lewisn’t’ pass a seat fitting? Perhaps not!
2012: Pastor’s podium celebrations
Nobody saw it coming, perhaps least of all Williams themselves. Pastor Maldonado had taken a surprise pole position at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, as he pipped home favourite Fernando Alonso, though few expected it to translate into a race win, given the team’s form at the time.
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 – and Williams’ first win in over seven years.
The podium celebrations were an absolute joy to witness. Alonso and third-placed Kimi Raikkonen hoisted Maldonado on to their shoulders, and with the win landing around Frank Williams’ 70th birthday, it was the perfect gift for the racing legend.
2001: Heartbreaking hitchhike for Hakkinen
Few moments in Spanish Grand Prix history are quite as heartbreaking as this. Mika Hakkinen began the final lap of the 2001 race with an impressive 42-second lead over championship rival Michael Schumacher, with his first win of the season for the taking. But midway through Turn 3, his McLaren had other ideas.
A hydraulic leak had caused clutch failure, and white smoke poured out the back of his car, forcing Hakkinen to stop entirely – and watch helplessly as Schumacher swept past him to take victory.
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’s car whilst he was on a cool-down lap. It’s an image that has stayed with F1 fans ever since – and undoubtedly with Hakkinen himself too.
2017: Meet your heroes – Raikkonen edition
When Raikkonen retired from the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix, the TV cameras turned to a young fan in full Ferrari kit who seemed totally inconsolable in the grandstands – 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.
We learned this race weekend that Kimi does have a softer side – and on this occasion, we reckon it’s a pretty good thing to meet your heroes.
2018: Meet your heroes – Alonso edition
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.
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’s McLaren, and by all accounts, it suited him quite well.
Alonso’s P8 finish in the race wasn’t a bad way to round off what must’ve been the greatest weekend of that kid’s life either.
2025: Carlos ‘Sainz’ a baby
Carlos Sainz has likely signed thousands of things in his time as an F1 driver, but perhaps none quite like this one…!
During his Fan Stage appearance in 2025, a baby being held aloft Lion King-style stopped him in his tracks mid-chat. He later made his way to the front row to meet his youngest fan, and signed the baby grow the youngster was wearing. Even when they’ve grown out of it, we can’t imagine this will ever be thrown out!
2022: Lost Leclerc
Securing pole position is always going to be a rush of excitement for the drivers, but so much of a rush, in fact, that in 2022 it made Charles Leclerc forget where he was supposed to go.
He was so caught up in the excitement that he drove straight past the entrance to the pits and suddenly became very aware that he had no idea where to park his Ferrari. Luckily, a quick word from his engineer saved the day, where he was directed to pull up at the start/finish line. Officials then swiftly arrived to wheel the pole position trolley in front of him. A crisis averted, and he could go back to celebrating.
2019: Team radio confusion for Carlos
Sainz always had a good rapport with Tom Stallard, his race engineer from his McLaren days, but you’re always going to have a few slip-ups over the air waves during a season. During the 2019 Barcelona race weekend, Stallard got on the radio to his driver to say: “Darren, it’s Tom.” The ever-quick Sainz quipped back: “Hello Tom, I’m Darren!” We wonder how much of a running joke ‘Darren Sainz’ became for the rest of the year…
