Fire at Final Corner Halts Austrian GP Qualifying

Austrian GP qualifying at the Red Bull Ring was forced to stop with a red flag after a fire broke out at the final corner. The incident — involving Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton running wide — differs from the grass fires caused by titanium sparks at the Japanese GP earlier this year.

FIA has taken preventive measures by implementing additional grass dampening between Q2 and Q3 sessions. While stainless steel skid blocks were considered to reduce sparks, titanium will remain in use for the remainder of this season.

“Teams are requested to have stainless steel skid blocks available at all events, as they may become mandatory if similar grass fire incidents occur as seen in Suzuka early this year,” stated the FIA.

Before the red flag incident that forced Alex Albon to abort his lap, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri led Q1, followed by Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.