The FIA opened a detailed investigation on Friday evening after two separate fires on the same area of grass on the inside of Turn 7 disrupted the track’s opening day.
Early practice at the Chinese Grand Prix had to be red flagged on Friday morning after a fire broke out on the grass before the same section caught fire at the end of the first qualifying session of sprint.
Although there was no red flag this time, as the current session had already ended, this triggered a delay in starting SQ2.
The FIA sent staff to the site on Friday evening to carry out an analysis of the cause of the problems, but no firm conclusions have been reached.
Although it seems certain that sparks from F1 cars are thrown into the grass, starting the fires, what is not known is what is causing things to burn so much.
It is understood there were no signs of any flammable materials or chemicals on the grass – which could perhaps have been dumped there before the weekend.
There have been theories that the fires are fueled by methane seeping into the ground and then igniting.
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The Shanghai circuit is built on a swamp, which could be the cause of a gas accumulation. It also appears that there are various pipes running underneath the room, so one of them could be cracked.
However, FIA inspections have revealed no clear evidence of the gas, further adding to the mystery of what is happening.
But even if there are no answers, the FIA has taken steps to ensure the fire issue will not cause problems if repeated.
A brief statement from the FIA said the herb was diluted and extra precautions were taken in the presence of fire engines.
“While we still do not know why grass fires occurred during yesterday’s sessions, we are taking preventative measures ahead of today’s track activities,” the statement said.
“We will be watering the grass in the affected areas and will have an emergency fire response team on standby at Turn 7.”
