Which bright spark caused this?

The 2015 F1 cars literally sparkled under the lights in Bahrain when a whole host of overtake moves produced a cascade of firework-like moves. But just why did F1 sparkle so dramatically in the desert? We investigate…

So why were the cars producing sparks in Bahrain?

Actually, they've been sparking all year after the introduction of titanium skid plates underneath the cars at the start of 2015...

Hang on, have these plates been on the car all year? Why am I only noticing them now?

Yes, the new skid plates have been on the cars all season. We saw a few sparks in the opening three races, but nothing as dramatic as the firework show in the Bahrain when the effect was amplified because the race was run at night under floodlights. 

So they were just added just to create sparks?

The FIA first experimented with the titanium plates in Austria last year on the cars of Nico Rosberg and Kimi Raikkonen. The change was made on safety grounds with the titanium skid plates thought to be less likely to detach than previous metal plates which surrounded the wooden planks.

"This metal is extremely heavy and when pieces detach they can be extremely harmful,” explained the FIA’s race director Charlie Whiting at the time. "We saw two punctures in Spa previously because of bits of this metal that lay in a kerb and caused damage. In a worst case scenario they could fly off and hit someone."

But it also looks cool…

Indeed, and the sparks are also part of a concerted effort to ‘improve the show’. The idea was to create more memorable images such as Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna going wheel-to-wheel at Barcelona in 1991 with sparks flying.

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And is it working?

It seems to be, with Martin Brundle commenting in his latest column for Sky F1: 'The vision of Lewis Hamilton exiting the pits on Sunday evening as Nico Rosberg was putting another monster move on the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel in his rear-view mirrors whilst throwing up copious sparks, sand and discarded rubber will stick in my mind for a good while.' And judging by the reaction on social media, the fans like it too.

Do the drivers and teams like it?

“Loving the sparks from the cars,” tweeted McLaren's Jenson Button as he watched on from the sidelines after his McLaren broke down prior to the race. Mercedes described an image of Nico Rosberg passing Sebastian Vettel with sparks ablaze as “spectacular”.

However, the new titanium skid plate sparks were blamed for Felipe Massa suffering smoke in the cockpit during practice in China.

Apart from that bit of smoke is it safe?

Scientists at the University of California have discovered that a golf club containing titanium can produce sparks of up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit when striking a rock. Indeed, errant golf shots have been blamed for causing vegetation fires in California.

But what about on track?

There have been no complaints from the drivers, at least not yet, but Nigel Mansell admitted he used to use sparks to distract and mark the visors of drivers challenging him from behind during his F1 career. And during commentary of the practice sessions in Bahrain, Bruno Senna said a mark on his late uncle Ayrton’s face was caused by a spark which had snuck through a gap in his helmet visor.

However, it seems the FIA are satisfied that the titanium sparks are safe and given how well they were received on Sunday, they look set to stay.

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