Trackside fire causes red flag in F1 Austrian GP qualifying

The second qualifying session at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix was red-flagged due to a fire at the Red Bull Ring’s final corner. 

Race marshals were seen dousing the dry grass in water, just like what happened at the Japanese Grand Prix in April.

The Suzuka weekend was thrown into chaos after a number of grass fires were caused by sparks from the titanium planks that run down the centre of each car.

With multiple sessions being red flagged, it became a serious issue. To combat this, the grass was cut as short as possible and was dampened, but that didn’t stop a red flag in qualifying.

But car planks weren’t the reason for the red flag in Austria, as Lewis Hamilton ran wide at the final corner. So, additional dampening of the grass has taken place during the break between Q2 and Q3. 

“Following analysis of the stainless steel skid block trials in Barcelona, the FIA has revised the implementation plan outlined in TD015,” the FIA said in a statement. 

“Titanium skid blocks will remain the mandated material for the remainder of the season.

“However, teams are requested to have stainless steel skid blocks available at all events, as they may become mandatory if similar grass fire incidents occur as seen in Suzuka early this year.

“Additional testing of stainless steel skid blocks will be conducted at selected events throughout the season to support further evaluation.”