The first test session in five years at the Chinese Grand Prix had to be halted due to two separate grass fires.
A red flag briefly halted proceedings for around five minutes after Alpine driver Esteban Ocon flagged the flames at turn seven.
The 27-year-old told team radio: “There’s a fire in the grass.”
A marshal quickly arrived on the scene with a fire extinguisher, before additional equipment arrived with a rescue team.
Once the flames were extinguished, a patch of grass could be seen completely burned.
But incredibly, after the first Sprint qualifying session, the fire broke out again at turn seven.
This led to a yellow flag, which the stewards again rushed to put out.
Sky Sports commentator David Croft was just as shocked as those watching when the red flag was raised at the start of the session.
He said: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen grass catch fire at the side of a Formula 1 track. It’s a very small grass fire at the moment.”
Asked by 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg how the grass caught fire, he said: “I wouldn’t even want to start speculating on that.”
He continued: “I have no idea how this would have happened.
“Unless of course Nico, a spark from the titanium blocks came from underneath the car and it just caught on a dent or something and sent the sparks flying down the side of the car.” the track, and that’s what ignited it.”
To which Rosberg said: “It would still be quite miraculous, wouldn’t it? But there’s probably no other explanation.”
The German icon was then left stunned by the second incident, as he said in a comment: “He’s on fire again, amazing!
“In the corner there is a big bump on the ground and all the cars are throwing big sparks under the car.
“And the wind pushes the sparks into the track at that time and sets the grass on fire.
“We’ve never seen this before.”
The first test session in five years at the Chinese Grand Prix had to be halted due to two separate grass fires.
A red flag briefly halted proceedings for around five minutes after Alpine driver Esteban Ocon flagged the flames at turn seven.
The 27-year-old told team radio: “There’s a fire in the grass.”
A marshal quickly arrived on the scene with a fire extinguisher, before additional equipment arrived with a rescue team.
Once the flames were extinguished, a patch of grass could be seen completely burned.
But incredibly, after the first Sprint qualifying session, the fire broke out again at turn seven.
This led to a yellow flag, which the stewards again rushed to put out.
Sky Sports commentator David Croft was just as shocked as those watching when the red flag was raised at the start of the session.
He said: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen grass catch fire at the side of a Formula 1 track. It’s a very small grass fire at the moment.”
Asked by 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg how the grass caught fire, he said: “I wouldn’t even want to start speculating on that.”
He continued: “I have no idea how this would have happened.
“Unless of course Nico, a spark from the titanium blocks came from underneath the car and it just caught on a dent or something and sent the sparks flying down the side of the car.” the track, and that’s what ignited it.”
To which Rosberg said: “It would still be quite miraculous, wouldn’t it? But there’s probably no other explanation.”
The German icon was then left stunned by the second incident, as he said in a comment: “He’s on fire again, amazing!
“In the corner there is a big bump on the ground and all the cars are throwing big sparks under the car.
“And the wind pushes the sparks into the track at that time and sets the grass on fire.
“We’ve never seen this before.”