Arriving in Japan after a one-week break, F1 is once again dealing with grass fires: Suzuka “catches fire” and the FIA has decided to respond after the controversy sparked by the incident. As happened in 2024 in Shanghai, during Friday’s free practice day of the 2025 season, the Japanese track delivers a “hot” surprise, causing two of the many Red Flags shown by the stewards during FP2.
It was a rather fragmented session that Italian fans witnessed during the morning. Free Practice 2 turned into a “real nightmare” for the drivers, as admitted by Charles Leclerc. Between crashes, spins, and fires, the true protagonists of FP2 were the Red Flags waved by the marshals. The session was first interrupted by the frightening crash of Jack Doohan’s Alpine. Then came Fernando Alonso’s turn, as his Aston Martin got stuck in the gravel at the start of sector 2. Finally, the stewards waved a third and fourth Red Flag due to several grass fires at Suzuka, a déjà-vu for Formula One. Similar incidents occurred in 2024 during FP1 at the Chinese GP.
Fires at Suzuka, burning grass: the FIA’s solution
On Friday, April 4th, the International Federation issued a statement. “As we continue to monitor the fires that occurred during FP2, we are focused on taking timely measures ahead of Saturday,” it said.
The FIA wants to do everything possible to prevent the fires from reoccurring during qualifying. “The grass has been cut as much as possible and dry grass has been removed from the affected areas,” reads the statement from the Federation.
The governing body of F1 will take additional steps on Saturday: “Before tomorrow’s sessions, the grass will be dampened. Specific response teams will also be positioned around the circuit,” the FIA’s statement concluded.
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