F1 cars spark because metal skid blocks under the car scrape along the track when the car runs very low and “bottoms out” at high speed, throwing off hot metal particles that glow.

Low ride height and downforce

• F1 teams run the cars extremely close to the ground to maximize aerodynamic grip, so the floor is only millimeters from the track.

• At high speed the car generates huge downforce, which pushes it even lower until the underside touches the surface in bumps, kerbs, or compressions. This contact is called bottoming out.

Titanium skid blocks and sparks

• Under the car is a mandatory plank with hard skid blocks (usually titanium) that protect the plank and floor from damage.

• When these metal blocks scrape the asphalt at speed, friction heats and tears off tiny metal fragments, which burn brightly and appear as a shower of sparks, especially visible at night races or on bumpy, high-speed sections.

When sparks are most visible

• Sparks are most common on long straights, at race starts with heavy fuel loads, and over aggressive kerbs or big elevation changes, where the car is heaviest or fastest and rides lowest.

• They are generally not a sign of something breaking; they are a side effect of running the car as low and fast as the rules safely allow.