Thirty years ago, Michael Schumacher won the Spanish Grand Prix and took the lead in the World Championship - which was a pivotal moment for the Enstone team.

Schumacher would not be headed again that year, winning seven more races to clinch his second consecutive world title and help Benetton (the former name of the Alpine team) secure their first-ever Constructors’ Championship.

That race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya held another milestone. Schumacher’s team-mate Johnny Herbert finished second to deliver a memorable one-two for the team - and claimed his first Formula 1 podium in the process. Remarkably, he only secured the runner-up spot on the final lap, overtaking Damon Hill’s slowing Williams as it suffered a hydraulic issue.

Hill and Williams had been leading both championships heading into Barcelona, but Schumacher and Benetton began their fightback at the Montmeló circuit. Michael put his B195 on pole by over half a second, while Herbert qualified seventh in his Renault-powered machine.

At the start, the green light never materialised. The red light came on, then went out — and Schumacher and the rest of the grid were on their way. The realisation that drivers only looked at the red light gave F1 organisers an idea. By the following season, a sequence of five red lights going out was used to start the race - a format that remains in place to this day.

Schumacher pitted for fuel on lap 21 of 65, opting for a two-stop strategy rather than his usual three. He was stationary for just 8.1 seconds and rejoined the track without losing the lead.

Herbert’s stop was even quicker - just 7.7 seconds - but drama struck as he left his mechanics with the rear jack still attached to his car. He accelerated down the pit lane, and fortunately, the jack detached before the exit, allowing him to continue unharmed.

Schumacher dominated the race from lights to flag. And behind him on the final lap, Hill slowed with his technical issue, prompting both consternation and celebration on the Benetton pit wall. Herbert swept past to claim his first F1 podium in his 67-race career, and the Enstone-based team celebrated their first one-two since the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, when Nelson Piquet led home Roberto Moreno. “I saw Damon going slowly and I had a big grin as I went past…” said a jubilant Herbert.

Team Principal Flavio Briatore embraced Schumacher in parc fermé and joined both drivers on the Spanish podium to celebrate. “Nothing better could have happened to me in this race - not only have I won it, I’ve gone into first position in the World Championship,” said Schumacher in the post-race press conference.

“The car ran so smoothly and perfectly today that I have to pay a big compliment to the team,” he added. “They’ve put in hard work and long nights over the last three races - they deserve this victory. What encourages me is that we’ve made the car so much better with only small changes, and we’ve got bigger changes coming. I think this is a good sign for the rest of the year…” It certainly was.