The FIA looks set to test a steel skid solution alongside the teams at the Spanish Grand Prix, in an effort to mitigate the issues faced at the Japanese Grand Prix this season when grass beside the track caught fire.

And, given it’s not an isolated incident, as a similar situation occurred at the Chinese Grand Prix in 2024, it has the governing body’s attention.

Another wrinkle in the Championship battle?

F1 re-introduced titanium skids in 2015, as teams had taken to using tungsten, which in of itself was causing issues, owing to its weight. This heavier material, used by the teams at the time, was harder wearing but became a considerable safety issue for other drivers when the skids became dislodged.

The current issue posed by titanium is the sparks that are produced when the skids impact with the track surface, as the sparks burn hotter and longer than other materials. It’s also the reason given for the issues seen in Japan at the beginning of the season, with the grass set alight by sparks from the underside of the cars.

It’s understood that this weekend’s trial during Free Practice will see a driver from each team use steel skids, rather than the usual titanium skids, in order to establish whether it’s a viable option going forward considering there will be a tangible weight increase and likely more wear to the skid.

Unsurprisingly, there’s not been universal support offered on this matter, with the teams expecting the various race organisers to spray the grass with water or flame retardant to prevent a repeat of the situation, rather than trying to find a technical alternative.

This is primarily due to the performance factors involved, with some teams potentially hurt by the alterations due to them having to raise their cars ride height in order that they aren’t prone to any additional wear that the steel skids might sustain.

Should the trial be successful there’s an expectation that the steel skids will be used at circuits with grass beside the track, including Canada, Austria, Britain, Belgium, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, US, Mexico and Brazil.

Whilst teams will still be able to use the titanium skids in Azerbaijan, Singapore, Las Vegas, Qatar, Abu Dhabi.

This could put an intriguing twist on the championship, given how low teams must run this current generation of car and given the performance losses and gains up and down the grid will be different for each team.

This, whilst also battling the issues faced by the technical directive that comes into force this weekend could really force teams into some interesting decisions, none more so than having to consider using more of their resources to combat the issues, whilst sacrificing the 2026 project.

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