FIA publish a statement about the trackside fires in China

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.