1991: when the Spanish GP arrived in Catalonia

Those over thirty cannot have forgotten it. On September 27, 1991, the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit hosted a Grand Prix of Formula 1. This inauguration was made memorable by a high-flying duel between Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna.

But let's go back a little. The history of the route officially began on February 24, 1989, when the first stone was laid. Voted by the Catalan parliament three years earlier, the construction of the route aimed to ensure the sustainability of a threatened Spanish Grand Prix.

Indeed, if it then took place in Jerez, financial complications, security problems and decreasing attendance no longer allowed Andalusia to accommodate the arrival of F1. The Royal Automobile Club Catalan then decided to invest in building a brand new circuit in Montmeló in the province of Barcelona, ​​to make Catalonia a reference in motor racing.

In terms of infrastructure, the enclosure turned out to be a jewel for the time. Spacious boxes, cutting-edge security and above all a very varied route ideal for testing quickly made it famous. “It is difficult to learn. I really like the track and it’s a great circuit in terms of driving,” said Ayrton Senna.

“I would like to compliment everyone who worked on the design and construction of this circuit, it is a physically demanding circuit and hard on the brakes,” added Nigel Mansell. Ricardo Patrese was a little more cautious, “It is very well built and very safe. But I think there are too many turns and it will be difficult to find a place to overtake.” Yes, already, even if the route was modified in 2007 to try to facilitate overtaking on two turns and will be again in 2021, after the second DRS zone.

Since its creation in 1991, the Montmeló circuit has hosted races of different categories, between the World Championship of rallycross, the Formula Promotion events or even the 24 Hours of Barcelona. As for F1, it gave us many memorable moments like the duel between Senna and Mansell, but we also remember Fernando Alonso who in 2006 became the first Spaniard to win the Spanish GP, or the one and only victory of Pastor Maldonado in 2012 or even more recently the victory of Max Verstappen in 2016 after a clash between the two Mercedes.

Today, the Spanish Grand Prix at Montmeló is a must in motorsport, although it is sometimes criticized for the difficulty of overtaking, since 1991 it has offered us its share of cult moments. Rare but precious.