Regarded as one of the most technically challenging circuits on the calendar, it is perhaps fortunate that the teams spend the majority of their allocated test days collecting valuable data at Montmeló ahead of the race.

Unfortunately, however, track and weather conditions are invariably disparate between testing and the Grand Prix weekend leaving the drivers and their engineers with a relatively green track to contend with from the outset.

Barcelona is a high speed, high downforce circuit, with fast, sweeping corners connected by even faster straights and will see the drivers reach speeds of 305kph along the start/finish straight and fly into corners such as Seat at 240kph.

The engines will spend each lap of the 66 lap race at 57% full throttle, so top end speeds are important, most crucially on the start/finish straight which will see the drivers flat out for over a kilometre.

Barcelona’s erratic weather conditions, particularly the prevailing winds, can de-stabilise the car’s aero balance, so the teams are continually chasing the perfect set-up. With so many variables, the outcome of the Spanish Grand Prix should never be predicted. 

2008 sees the 18th Spanish Grand Prix to be hosted at the Circuit de Catalunya north of Barcelona.

The first two Spanish GPs since the official inauguration of Formula One were held in Pedralbes (1951 and 1954). Later venues were Jarama (9 GPs), Montjuich (4) and Jerez (5).

Formula One has been staged in Barcelona since 1991. In total, there have been 37 Spanish GPs so far.  

The city of Barcelona (population approx. 1.8 million) with its Mediterranean port lies in the northwest of Spain, around 120 kilometres south of the Pyrenees.

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and Spain’s second-largest city.