Why do f1 cars spark

The use of plank was to prevent the cars from being lowered down to the track in dangerously close proximity. This might increase the risk factor as tracks used to be quite uneven and bumpy.

However, considering the plank, also known as skid block, was made out of wood, this led to the base wearing out quite rapidly over an F1 race. Hence, this led to most of the teams using a material called Kevlar as a cover for the skid block, primarily to prevent the wood from wearing out.

But, Kevlar hardly induced sparks. As a replacement for Kevlar, F1 introduced titanium from the start of , which is much lighter and safer and wears off much quicker than other metals. Also in addition to the substantial increase in safety, the metal also caused fireworks. Overall, this appealing visual of F1 cars producing sparks will remain a factor at least until the end of the season.

F1 cars spilling sparks from the bottom is a spectacular sight to watch, since the 80s, it is not a rare sight to witness as the teams have built cars in a way which propels the creation of sparks.

WTF1 put together an elaborative video stating the reason behind this phenomenon. The teams from the s tried to keep the car as nearest to the ground as possible to generate the most amount of downforce in the car. With a full tank of fuel, the cars would routinely scrape against the ground, causing a light show for anyone watching.

Turns out, there's a whole history behind sparks in F1, and it's incredibly interesting. WTF1 put together a fun, informative video walking through the evolution of sparks in the sport. Sparks started to become a normal thing in F1 starting in the late Eighties, when teams would try to get their cars as low to the ground as possible to create the most downforce. With a full tank of fuel, the cars would routinely scrape against the ground, causing a light show for anyone watching.

As WTF1 points out, former race car driver Nigel Mansell would go as far as to seek out bumps in the track to create sparks from his car to distract drivers close behind. In , the FIA mandated a millimeter skid block be mounted on the bottom of every F1 car to curb the sparks caused by low ride heights. If the block wore by more than one millimeter by the end of each race, the team would be disqualified. That's what happened to Schumacher at Spa in