Japanese Grand Prix in chaos as fires hit legendary track

Japanese Grand Prix

Japanese Grand Prix in chaos as fires hit legendary track

The Japanese GP weekend has got off to a chaotic start

By Kerry Violet.

Friday 4 April 2025 09:23

The second practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix had to be halted twice for fires around the track, with pundits warning that Saturday's running could be similarly affected.

Teams were already short of track time after lengthy red flag periods caused by Jack Doohan and Fernando Alonso both going off track, the former smashing into the barriers at high speed.

With the clock continuing to count down and the remaining 18 drivers on track eager to get in valuable runs ahead of Saturday's qualifying, the small fire at the exit of Turn 11 delayed proceedings even further.

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Friday's weather in Suzuka produced a dangerous combination of extremely dried-out grass and windy conditions, meaning that sparks from the F1 machinery were being swept into the path of the grass on the left-hand side of the track.

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F1 fighting fires at Japanese Grand Prix

This year's incident went from bad to worse however when a fourth red flag had to be waved with just seconds to go in FP2 after another fire began to spread rapidly trackside.

Observing the rapidly growing fire, Sky's David Croft said: "I’d say with the wind and with the dry nature of the grass, this is a worry."

Last year in Shanghai, chemicals were scattered over the grass surrounding the track to prevent further fire damage, a route that potentially could be taken in Suzuka to prevent further interruptions.

Sunday’s main event is at less risk of continued fire breakouts however with less frequent sparks expected to be produced in the race as a result of the reduced speed of the cars and less bottoming out.

The shock incidents have left most teams on the grid with the nightmare scenario of having barely any decent long-run data from the session to take into Sunday's race.

Mercedes Fernando Alonso Japanese Grand Prix Jack Doohan Ted Kravitz