“Max Verstappen’s Participation in Race at Risk Due to Wildfires”
Safety personnel working to put out a fire on the grass beside the track. – Issei Kato/Reuters
Wildfires continued to disrupt the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday as practice and qualifying sessions were interrupted multiple times by separate blazes. The incidents followed a series of red flags during Friday’s practice, two of which were caused by fires near the track likely sparked by the cars’ skid blocks igniting the dry grass. Race marshals swiftly extinguished all five fires that occurred over the two days.
“Investigating the fires from FP2, our immediate focus is on preventive measures before tomorrow’s races,” stated the FIA, Formula One’s governing body, on Friday via Reuters. “Grass has been trimmed as short as possible, and dry debris has been cleared from affected areas. Ahead of tomorrow’s sessions, the grass will be dampened, and response teams will be stationed strategically around the track.”
A track marshal dampens grass along the track as a precautionary measure against fires. – Issei Kato/Reuters
Despite these efforts, fires persisted on Saturday, notably during the later part of qualifying at the 130R corner. The session was briefly stopped before resuming. While the air temperature was a cool 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) in Suzuka, track temperatures soared to 102 degrees (39 degrees Celsius), as reported by Formula1.com.
This marks the second instance in the past year of fires erupting near a Formula One event. In April 2024, the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai had to pause due to a minor trackside fire during practice. With rain predicted for Sunday morning in Suzuka, officials will be hopeful that the race can proceed without disruptions.
Max Verstappen has secured pole position after narrowly edging out Lando Norris by a mere 0.012 seconds on his final lap. This marks the fourth consecutive time Verstappen has clinched pole at Suzuka, setting a new lap record for the track with a time of 1:26.983.
In his debut for Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda qualified in 15th place, just behind Liam Lawson whose seat he took after Lawson’s demotion following only two races into the season. Both drivers moved up a position on the starting grid after Carlos Sainz received a three-place penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton during qualifying.
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