The second practice session of the Japanese GP unfolded into chaos after four red flags were thrown. The first two were accidents for rookie Jack Doohan and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. However, the final two were due to the grass around the track catching fire.
This is a major concern for the Japanese GP event organisers. Marshals were seen with fire extinguishers around the circuit, putting out the flames. This was similar to last season at the Chinese GP, where flames engulfed grassy areas. But what caused them here in Japan?
What caused the fires?
The fires were at two different sections of the track. The first one was on the grass bank between Dunlop and Degner One. The second fire was on a bigger patch of grass on the run down to Spoon Curve. The main concern is that the temperature around the track was only 13 degrees Celsius. However, Saturday is due to be three degrees warmer.
The good news for the event organisers is that the wind speed is due to be slower. This was a major factor in what caused the fires. The strong wind blew sparks from the cars onto the grass, igniting it and causing flames. The sparks were from the planks under the cars scraping on the track. With the ground effect era cars lower to the ground, you can often see sparks from the car’s rear.
Chaos at Suzuka: Red Flags, Crashes, Fires, and McLaren Dominance in FP2
The grass itself is dry, leading to the sparks igniting the fire. April is considered a dry month in the area and is mainly warm. This would lead to the grass being dry and more likely to burn.
FIA take action to prevent fires in Japanese GP
Last season in China, the FIA took action to water the grass and have emergency fire vehicles in the areas affected. To also help the prevention of fires from taking place again in 2025, it is reported that the event organisers used a special chemical on the grass. The FIA has now taken action in Japan.
Red flag deployed 🔴
A small grass fire beside the circuit is currently being extinguished#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/OomAusRYH5
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 4, 2025
An FIA spokesperson said: “While we continue to look into the fires that occurred during FP2, our focus before tomorrow will be on taking pre-emptive measures. The grass has been cut as short as possible, and loose, dried grass has been removed from affected areas. Prior to tomorrow’s sessions, the grass will be dampened, and specific response teams will be stationed around the track.”
This will be welcome to teams that now value FP3 as vital for their race weekends. Teams will not have much data on race pace. McLaren struggled with left front graining so would have made set-up changes which need testing. Hopefully, these new measures will stop the fires from reemerging and and everyone can get on with the racing.
