Spain had already hosted 2 races in 1994 and 1997, but on both occasions the Spanish GP was accompanied by the European GP at Jerez. The 55 Spanish GPs already held have taken place on 5 different circuits, but since 1991 the race has always been run in Barcelona.

According to the engineers from the Brembo group who work closely with all Formula 1 drivers, the 5.416-kilometre-long Madring falls into the category of circuits that are highly demanding on brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a difficulty index of 4 due to the presence of 8 braking sections per lap for a total of 14.2 seconds. Five braking points are classified as Hard, two as Medium and the remaining one as Light.

According to the simulations carried out, the toughest corner at the Madring for the braking system is the first one after the finish line. The single-seaters reach it at 294 km/h and slow to 137 km/h in 1.8 seconds, during which they cover 99 metres. Formula 1 drivers apply a load of 135 kg to the brake pedal and are subjected to a deceleration of 4.3 g. Braking power, meanwhile, is 1,782 kW.    

At the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, by contrast, there are only 5 braking events per lap and the brakes are used for just under 11.5 seconds. However, since the Catalan track is only 4,657 metres long, the percentage of brake use is 16 per cent, higher than the 15 per cent at the Madring. The track in the Spanish capital, however, places greater strain on the drivers’ legs: from the start to the chequered flag, each driver exerts a load of 40.3 tonnes on the brake pedal, compared with the 25.7 tonnes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.