A method and plant (1) for thermally treating braking elements (2) after a forming step, including a convective heating step at 150-300 DEG C and a infrared irradiation heating step, immediately in succession one relative to the other; a tunnel convection furnace (4) crossed by at least a first conveyor belt (5) which translates along a first direction (Dl) and on an upper face of which the braking elements are placed, is arranged laterally adjacent, with respect to the first direction, to an infrared heating tunnel furnace (6) crossed by a second conveyor belt (7) which translates along a second direction (D2), parallel and opposite to the first one, and on an upper face of which the braking elements are placed; the first conveyor belt (5) is larger than the second conveyor belt (7), and the braking elements appear in multiple side-by-side rows in a transverse and oblique direction (D3) with respect to the first and second directions; robot (10,13) placed at the opposite ends of the furnaces transfer the braking elements from the first conveyor belt to the second one or vice versa to a first end (8,9) of the furnaces and place them on the first conveyor belt or second one to a second end (11,12) of the furnaces being opposite to the first one, so as to change at will the sequence in which the infrared and convective heating steps are performed.