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          Spanish GP stats: Why Saturday is the most important day in Barcelona

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          Social story of the Spanish Grand Prix (1:09)

          Revisit the Spanish Grand Prix through the eyes of social media, as Lewis Hamilton leads a Mercedes 1-2. (1:09)

          • Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior WriterMay 10, 2018, 07:41 AM
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              Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He has been with ESPN for 10 years and works as a Senior Writer, covering sport in Australia and around the world.
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          ESPN takes a look at some of the best and quirkiest stats to come out of the Spanish Grand Prix.

          For the first time in 2018 Lewis Hamilton recorded pole position and a race win on the same weekend to increase his championship lead over Sebastian Vettel to 17 points.

          The victory was Hamilton's third in Spain and it also extended his streak of points finishes to an unprecedented 30 races.

          Stat focus: Qualifying proves critical in Spain (again)

          Many Formula One fans have been led to believe that Saturday in Monaco is the most important qualifying session of the season, however, statistics suggest it's even most critical to get your one-lap runs right in Spain.

          Hamilton's win on Sunday was the 21st time in 28 races the polesitter has won at the Circuit de Catalunya. It's also the 25th time the winner has come from the front row of the grid.

          The 75 percent win rate from pole position and 89.3 percent rate from the front row are both the highest of any circuit on the current calendar (with at least 10 races).

          This highlights the importance of qualifying in Barcelona. In fact the lowest grid slot a winner has emerged from at the Circuit de Catalunya is P5 (Fernando Alonso in 2013).

          Something you probably didn't know

          Drivers to finish top four in every race this season:

          • Lewis Hamilton

          Drivers to finish top eight in every race this season:

          • Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso

          Drivers to finish top 11 in every race this season:

          • Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz

          Drivers with three or more retirements this season:

          • Romain Grosjean

          Fast facts:

          150 - Max Verstappen's third place finish was Red Bull's 150th podium in Formula One.

          6/6 - Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo have combined to set the last six fastest laps.

          59 - The amount of races since Nico Hulkenberg was last knocked out in Q1.

          75% - Points scored by Vettel through the first five races compared to last year (104 in 2017, 78 in 2018).

          Grosjean's woes - 2018 is the first year in Romain Grosjean's career he has failed to score a point in the opening five races of the season.