F1 to continue with titanium skid blocks after grass fires
LONDON : Formula One cars will continue to use titanium skid blocks for the rest of the season after testing stainless steel alternatives to reduce the risk of trackside grass fires.
Second practice at Suzuka in April was stopped four times by red flags, twice because of trackside fires set by sparks from cars.
Practice at last year's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai was also interrupted by a red flag when a small grass fire broke out at trackside.
The governing FIA said on Wednesday that the titanium skid blocks beneath the car, which spark on contact with the asphalt or kerbs, would remain the mandated material but teams would also be required to have stainless steel ones available.
It said this was because "they may become mandatory if similar grass fire incidents occur as seen in Suzuka early this year.
"Additional testing of stainless steel skid blocks will be conducted at selected events throughout the season to support further evaluation."
The decision followed analysis of stainless steel blocks tested at last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Postecoglou changed Spurs narrative, but trophy too little too late
LONDON :Ange Postecoglou will walk away from Tottenham Hotspur with his pride and his reputation intact and his place in the club's heritage assured after a two-year stint in north London. Ending the club's 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League made sure of that. The Australian delivered on his claim of always winning a trophy in his second season at a club, but few could have envisaged the circumstances in which it happened. From the ruins of a nightmarish Premier League season, Tottenham ground out a backs-to-the-wall victory against one of the worst Manchester United sides in decades with a display at odds with the club's 'to dare is to do' motto. Earlier in the season, after Tottenham beat United 4-3 in a rollercoaster League Cup quarter-final, Postecoglou railed against studio pundits who criticised his expansive style. "Are you not entertained?! What do you want? Do you want a scrambly 1-0? The studio's probably going into meltdown over my lack of tactics but I love the fact we go out there and take it to opposition," he bristled. A few months later, Tottenham did just that, beating United 1-0 with a messy goal and a second half display in which they had 19 per cent of the ball and barely crossed the halfway line. Postecoglou had only to point to the euphoric scenes in the stadium to answer those who sneered at Tottenham's glory night. In a parallel universe it could have heralded the ignition point for a Postecoglou dynasty at Tottenham, just as Manchester United's 1989 FA Cup win did for Alex Ferguson. Instead, it just marked the end of another brief chapter in the club's history, albeit a memorable one, as he became the fifth full-time manager to be sacked in little over five years. When Postecoglou arrived in 2023 with his swashbuckling 'Ange-Ball' style he seemed the perfect fit for a club worn down by the joyless reigns of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Twenty six points from his opening 10 Premier League games in the 2023-24 season was more than any other manager in his first season in the competition, eclipsing the likes of serial title winners like Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. It was Tottenham's best start to a top-flight season since their last title-winning campaign in 1960-61. Then the wheels fell off. His 11th game, at home to Chelsea, offered an early clue as to what would become his eventual downfall. The mood was ecstatic as Spurs scored early but then they suffered two big injuries and were reduced to nine men by the 55th minute when Destiny Udogie joined Cristian Romero in receiving a rash red card. Even two players down, and with the score at 1-1, Postecoglou insisted his team play a high defensive line and go for goals and, while it was compelling viewing, they eventually subsided to a chaotic 4-1 defeat. That loyalty to his attacking philosophy was admirable and earned him staunch support amongst the club's fans, but it also exposed a lack of tactical pragmatism. Tottenham limped to fifth in Postecoglou's first term, securing continental football in the Europa League, and there were high hopes that his second season would see him mould a team capable of mounting a title challenge. Instead, Tottenham endured their worst top-flight season since they were relegated in 1977, ending in 17th place with 22 defeats and 65 goals conceded. There were mitigating circumstances. A chronic injury list took out central defenders Romero and Micky van de Ven, strikers Dominic Solanke and Richarlison and keeper Guglielmo Vicario for long periods and with no danger of relegation he put all his eggs in the Europa League basket. He will also argue that the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Mikey Moore promise a bright future. Sadly, he will not be the one to benefit with chairman Daniel Levy deciding that the Europa League triumph was the anomaly, rather than the 22 league defeats. SOFT UNDERBELLY The biggest criticism of Postecoglou was that his insistence on high defensive lines and playing out from the back, even when the players obviously could not execute it, exposed the team's soft underbelly and made them easy to beat. Relegated clubs Leicester City and Ipswich Town both beat Tottenham whose only league win in their last 12 games was against woeful bottom club Southampton. Yet set against their Premier League slide, Postecoglou conjured a parting gift for the long-suffering fans and they do not care how it was achieved. He leaves having changed the narrative around the club but whether the it can seize the moment and build a sustained challenge for regular silverware remains to be seen.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Tottenham sack manager Postecoglou
Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, British media reported on Friday, despite the Australian guiding the club to their first major trophy in 17 years with victory in the Europa League final last month. Postecoglou will leave two years after his appointment. Spurs beat Manchester United in Bilbao to win the Europa League and book their place in next season's Champions League, but a dismal domestic campaign ultimately cost Postecoglou his job. Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League last season, fuelling pressure on the 59-year-old in his second year at the helm.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Doping-Guliyev to be stripped of 2012 Olympic medal after CAS dismisses appeal on ban
Ekaterina Guliyev is set to lose the 800 metres silver medal she won for Russia at the 2012 Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed her appeal against a four-year doping ban, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Friday. Guliyev, who competed for Russia before switching allegiance to Turkey, was banned for two years in April 2024 for the period from March 2023 for the use of a prohibited substance, with the AIU disqualifying her results from July 17, 2012 until October 20, 2014. The 2012 Olympics were held from July 27-August 12. Competing as Ekaterina Poistogova, she finished third in the 2012 Olympic final. But Guliyev was upgraded to silver when Russian winner Mariya Savinova was found guilty of doping offences, before she herself was also banned for doping. "In reaching its judgement, CAS upheld the decision to disqualify the 34-year-old's results from 17 July 2012 to 20 October 2014, confirming the loss of her reallocated Olympic silver medal," the AIU said in a statement. "World Athletics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are now proceeding with the next steps." World Athletics' competition department will now disqualify her results and then notify the IOC. The IOC may then proceed with the reallocation of Olympic medals, with Kenyan Pamela Jelimo set to be awarded the silver while American Alysia Montano will be moved up to the bronze medal position. The women's middle distance events at the London Olympics were heavily tainted by doping with two other runners in the 800m final since having had their results voided - Savinova and Russian Elena Arzhakova. Guliyev is one of hundreds of athletes who have been sanctioned following the 'Operation LIMS' investigation into Moscow's anti-doping laboratory which uncovered widespread institutionalised doping.
