Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya hosts the fifth round of the F1 championship, and has been on the calendar since 1991, so teams and drivers are no strangers here. It also welcomes the ‘European season’.

The 4.655km long circuit has been F1’s pre-season testing destination since quite a while, and is usually a good tuning spot for the teams. Given its conditions, a car’s performance here can normally be a good representation of how it will be on most other circuits.

Barcelona features a variety of high- and low-speed corners, an abrasive and bumpy surface, and unpredictable wind changes. It also is harsh on tires, and makes for a mechanically difficult race.

Overtaking chances are usually turn one - the most feasible, and the turn ten hairpin at the end of the back straight (this corner was changed in 2004, giving enough room to run wide on the exit).2014 was the 24th time Barcelona hosted the Spanish GP. That time round, it was Lewis Hamilton who won over Nico Rosberg by a little over half a second. Daniel Ricciardo followed in third.