Explained: Trackside fire interrupts F1 Chinese Grand Prix practice
How did a ꧒fire break out du♔ring F1 Chinese Grand Prix practice?
Practice at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix w🥂as bizarrely halted by a fire on the grass next to⛦ the track.
A red flag interrupted the sole practice session♏ on Friday, after only 15 minutes, when the fire at Turn 7 was reported.
Marshal💯ls swiftly doused the flames leaving a dramatic patch of scorched, blackened grass.
Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz reported from trackside: “On the apex of that corner, specifically, the cars bottom out. The♛y are producing sparks.
“With the wind blowing downwind, I can absolutely imagine that the reason forꦡ the fire was a spark coming off the cars’ skid-blocks and then travelled downwind, and hit the patch of dry grass.
“It’s surprising because we’ve only had one da☂y of dry weather.
“We♈dnesday was pouring with rain in Shanghai. So the grass has dried out succ♊essfully for that to catch fire.
“I’ve got no doub𒊎t that it wasn’t an errant cigarette causing that fire! I’ve got no doubt that it was a spark from a car.”
Damon Hill added: “Actually, the sparks are created by bits of metal. Not just flaming bits of nothing. They are💙 actually material bits of metal.
“They obviously set fire to the grass!”
Lance Stroll eventually topped the timesheets of the interr🌃upted session.
The fire was the second unusual moment for the Shanghai International Ciꦗrcuit this weekend.
F1 drivers initially suspected it had been painted when they notice d💃arkened patched of the♈ track.
But, bitumen had been used to treat the track in an attempt to prevent 🐷tyre degradation🐓.
It is unconfirmed whether the bitumen may have caused the spa🌺rks which set fire to the grass.
J🌳ames was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to footba🔥ll, to F1.
