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According to AS-Web, several Formula 1 teams were forced to make urgent changes to their cars during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend after the FIA intervened over allegedly illegal skid block systems. The report claims that multiple teams had been heating their skid blocks to influence tyre behaviour, leading the FIA to act before qualifying.
The alleged system involves warming the skid blocks to alter how the plank interacts with the track surface, potentially improving ride height stability or tyre warm-up. Any active manipulation of the skid block temperature falls outside the current technical regulations. Once the FIA noticed suspicious patterns during data checks in Brazil, it reportedly contacted the involved teams immediately.
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According to AS-Web, the intervention had a noticeable impact on performance for some cars during the remainder of the weekend.
“They Had to Remove the System Before Qualifying”
The Japanese outlet writes that the FIA directly instructed several teams to disable the system. “Teams were told to remove the heated skid block system before qualifying,” AS-Web reports. The governing body is said to have monitored compliance throughout parc fermé.
The article does not name specific teams, but hints that both midfield and front-running outfits were affected. That has fuelled speculation about sudden shifts in performance from Friday to Saturday at Interlagos.
Why Heated Skid Blocks Are a Problem
Skid blocks — also known as the plank — are designed to control minimum ride height. If a team can artificially influence their temperature or behaviour, it may gain an advantage in tyre warm-up or stability over kerbs and bumps.
The FIA considers such systems a form of active manipulation that violates the intent of the rules. The governing body has taken a stricter approach this season following several grey-area innovations that appeared on different cars.
Possible Follow-Up Checks
AS-Web also claims that the FIA is now expected to check the cars again at upcoming Grands Prix to ensure no team reintroduces the system. Random inspections of the skid blocks and associated components may be increased.
Teams contacted after the report have declined to comment, and the FIA has not made an official statement. The paddock, however, is already discussing whether the intervention may explain certain teams’ sudden dip in pace during the Brazil weekend.
If the allegations prove accurate, the incident would mark yet another example of how tight the technical margins are in modern Formula 1, and how far some teams are willing to push those limits.
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