Fires at the Japanese Grand Prix: what caused the trackside fires on Friday and Saturday?

Particularly dry weather conditions

In the days leading up to the Grand Prix, warmer than normal conditions, sustained sunshine, and low humidity contributed to drying out the vegetation. The soil, which had become particularly dry and hardened, no longer allowed water to infiltrate effectively.

First incidents on Friday

Although the first practice session on Friday morning went off without incident, the second session in the afternoon was interrupted twice due to small fires. These fires were caused by sparks generated by the friction of the titanium skid blocks attached under the floors of the cars. These incandescent projections, coupled with the low humidity, were enough to ignite the grass bordering the track, making the area particularly conducive to the spread of flames.

The second fire on Friday afternoon spread more quickly, fanned by strong gusts of 45 km/h blowing over the Suzuka circuit.

Insufficient preventive measures

To prevent such fires, the grass was cut and watered on Saturday, but these measures proved insufficient due to the soil’s dryness. The FIA released a statement on this matter: « The grass has been cut as short as possible, and dry grass has been removed from the affected areas. Before tomorrow’s sessions, the grass will be moistened, and specific intervention teams will be stationed around the track. »

Despite an ambient temperature of 15°C in Suzuka on Saturday, the humidity level remained below 40%, while the track temperature approached 40°C. Two new fires broke out that day. The first occurred during the last free practice session: Gabriel Bortoleto slightly ran wide off the track approaching turn 130R, and a fire ignited a few seconds later, exactly at the same spot. The second fire took place during Q2, causing a six-minute interruption before the session could resume.

Effective measures for Sunday’s race

Aware of the issue, the FIA explained its approach in case of repeated incidents during the race. The idea is to address the problem under a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) if the field is still sufficiently grouped. Otherwise, a safety car will be used to bunch up the field and allow personnel to deal with the flames.

The idea of intentionally burning the grass was also considered but quickly dismissed due to the passage of a cold front (between 7 and 9 mm of rain fell on Sunday morning) and the number of resources required to carry out this operation carefully. Moreover, this solution would have had a negative impact environmentally and aesthetically.

The circuit staff worked late into the night from Saturday to Sunday to cut the grass even shorter and remove the excess. These specific measures worked perfectly, preventing the start of new fires during Sunday’s race. It’s a situation the organization will certainly need to consider for next year. This phenomenon is unlikely to occur for the next two races, which will take place in the middle of the desert.