WHY DO FORMULA 1 CARS SPARK?

Have you ever thought about why Formula 1 cars spark?

When you're sitting on the edge of your seat with your eyes glued to the TV watching the Grand Prix, one of the most spectacular sights has to be when you see sparks fly out the back of an F1 car. But what actually causes that?

Back in the 1980s, Formula 1 teams would run their cars as low to the ground as possible to maximise the effects of downforce, but when the cars were filled with fuel and or driving on a rather bumpy race track, the bottom of the cars would hit the tarmac, creating a shower of sparks.

But nowadays, the FIA has implemented a safety rule that every car needs to have a sheet of wood at the bottom of the car to ensure the cars aren't too low. After every race, the thickness of the wood is measured and, if the wood has been worn over a certain amount, the driver will be disqualified.

To mount the plank, braces make out of titanium are used and, every so often, the titanium makes contact with the track, thus creating sparks.

Take a look at the video below by YouTube channel, WTF1, on Why Do Formula 1 Cars Spark?

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