Two separate fires started during the first day of action during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. One occurred in FP1, and the second started during the sprint shootout, eventually delaying the session into a wet weather window. It was a strange scenario, but the FIA have now published a statement explaining how this started.
This website inquired with the FIA about the cause of the fires. The governing body now thinks it knows what caused the fire to start. "After a first review of the video footage, it seems like it is sparks coming from cars igniting the fire in the grass run-off area."
Still, it can be called striking, as some rain fell ahead of sprint qualifying. In any case, the FIA will want to do everything in their power to prevent a repeat to avoid further red flag stoppages later in the weekend.
It is still unclear whether, and if so, what measures will be taken by the FIA for Saturday and Sunday.
Everything can be faked in China, so for the grass to be able to ignite that easily from sparks, it looks like they are not using real grass, but a fake plastic one which combusts very easily ..... On top of that, It obviously doesn't meet the Class A fire rating standards or the CFL-S1 fire retardation rating required for artificial tuff required in most developed countries.
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