Off the back of last night's Las Vegas grand prix, both McLaren drivers were disqualified after their wooden skid blocks were found to have exceeded the maximum permitted wear. Following this pivotal decision, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is now back in a prime position to fight for the drivers championship.
Disqualifications like this one have become more common since the introduction of the ground effect regulations in 2022. Earlier this year, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix for excessive plank wear, with Nico Hulkenberg receiving the same penalty just a few races later in Bahrain.
Understandably, these disqualifications have spawned many questions around the function and purpose of wooden planks in a high tech sport such as Formula 1. After all, it is the smallest of shavings that are costing teams vital points in what is an extremely competitive 2025 championship.
What are Skid Blocks?
Formula 1 skid blocks, also known as “planks,” are placed on the belly of the cars before each race. Currently they are made of Permaglass, though originally they were built from a wood and laminate composite called Jabroc.
Implemented in the early 1990s; skid blocks were introduced to slow the cars down after Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger lost their lives in high speed accidents. During this era of Formula 1, teams ran their cars as close to the ground as possible to generate maximum downforce. However, doing this created many safety concerns.
Because the cars were running so low to the ground, they were sensitive to bumps and quick changes in downforce; often leading to high speed accidents. Some cars would experience a phenomenon known as "porpoising” in which the car would quickly gain and lose downforce at high speeds causing bouncing and sudden loss of grip. To prevent this, skid blocks were introduced ensuring teams would not run their cars too close to the ground.
How do they work?
When a Formula 1 car is out on track, the bottom of the car brushes against the ground, shaving off bits of the skid block and thinning out the plank over the course of a race. Sometimes, as the car touches the ground sparks shoot out from the underside of the car. These sparks are created by titanium skid plates that teams position on specific parts of the plank. Skid plates help maintain the structure of the plank by dispersing the load of the car hitting the track.
Skid planks are required to be 10mm (±0.2mm) in width and are measured before each race. At the end of each race FIA officials measure these planks again to confirm they still comply with the regulations. A skid block must be more than 9mm thick or the car will be deemed in breach of the regulations, which, like we saw in Vegas, usually results in a slam dunk penalty.
Ultimately, by ensuring teams aren’t running cars too close to the track, the sport can further protect the safety of the drivers.
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