First apply on Friday morning needed to be red-flagged after a hearth erupted on the grass on the within of Flip 7 on the Shanghai Worldwide Circuit.
The identical part later caught fireplace on the finish of the primary session of dash qualifying, which led to the beginning of SQ2 being briefly delayed.
Following the primary drawback on Friday morning, the FIA visited the realm earlier than qualifying to attempt to perceive precisely what was the inflicting the grass to ignite.
Preliminary evaluation performed from video footage advised that sparks being thrown up by the automobiles had been being blown onto the grass, which was then catching fireplace.
Nevertheless, that has solely supplied a partial clarification for the phenomenon, as a result of the scale of the fires being triggered is way greater than would usually be anticipated from grass, particularly after a significant downpour on Wednesday may have moistened the bottom.
Numerous theories have emerged concerning the additional catalyst that’s inflicting the sparks to set off the bigger blazes.
Marshals rush to place out the hearth on the grass
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures
One principle is that as a result of the Shanghai observe is constructed on a swamp, methane gasoline might be seeping up via the bottom – which is then being ignited and inflicting the fires.
One other concept is that the grass has been chemically handled to boost its appears, and it’s this that’s inflicting the issue.
Nevertheless, the FIA’s preliminary bodily inspections on Friday didn’t shed any nice mild on the state of affairs, as it’s understood there have been no uncommon smells or proof of something sudden within the space.
With the hearth returning in qualifying, nonetheless, the FIA plans to conduct a extra detailed examination within the night to attempt to get a greater deal with on what’s going on and discover the true trigger.
The FIA will clearly be desirous to keep away from any fires triggering the necessity for session stoppage on Saturday, and even of it prompting the necessity for a security automotive or different intervention within the race.
The fireplace drawback is one thing that has not been encountered at Shanghai earlier than, though that is the primary yr that the brand new era of ground-effect automobiles, which throw up extra sparks as they run near the bottom, have pushed right here.
