"It was not until the last decade that the Spanish Grand Prix came into its own on the Formula One calendar, with all of Spain backing it and the series itself becoming the second- or third-most popular sport in the country, after soccer and cycling. This coincided with the success of Fernando Alonso, a Spanish driver who by 2006 was double world champion and then in 2010 joined Ferrari, the most illustrious team in the history of the series." (Quoted from article)