Photo Credit: Morio, 1996 Honda RC-F1 2.0X, wooden stepped flat bottom, Honda Collection Hall, Motegi, Japan, 16 July 2012. Edited/cropped. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. License
Photo Credit: Morio, 1996 Honda RC-F1 2.0X, wooden stepped flat bottom, Honda Collection Hall, Motegi, Japan, 16 July 2012. Edited/cropped. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. License
In F1, a skidblock is a small but essential component attached to the car’s underbody, integrated into the central plank.
Its main purpose is not to perfect the car but to enforce technical regulations, particularly regarding ride height.
While it may seem like a minor detail, the skid block plays a critical role in balancing performance and safety.
Purpose and Function
Ensuring Safety
The skid block, often called the legality plank, it was introduced in 1994 as a safety measure.
By maintaining a minimum ride height, it prevents cars from running too close to the track surface.
If the car bottoms out excessively, it can lose downforce suddenly, making it difficult to control at high speed.
The skid block ensures that this risk is minimized, keeping both drivers and competition safer.
Limiting Performance
A key function of the skid block is to limit ground effect.
Cars that run lower to the ground can generate more downforce, allowing higher cornering speeds.
By enforcing a minimum ride height, the regulations keep racing fair and prevent teams from exploiting extreme setups.
Sparks and Spectacle
One of the most visually striking effects of the skid block is the bright sparks it produces when scraping the track.
Made of titanium alloy, these sparks have become a fan favorite, adding a dramatic flair during high-speed corners, especially at night races.
Material and Mechanics
Plank vs. Skid Block
The underbody ‘plank’ runs along the central underside of the car, historically it was made of wood-based Jabroc, but modern F1 uses Permaglass, a glass-reinforced composite.
The skid blocks are small titanium plates flush-mounted into the plank at key points.
How It Wears
Teams carefully design their cars so that the durable titanium skid blocks, rather than the plank itself, make contact with the track.
This reduces wear at the legality check points and helps avoid penalties.
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F1 Rules
Mandatory Fitment
Every Formula 1 car must have a plank assembly running beneath the central plane, extending from behind the front wheels to the midpoint of the rear wheels.
The skid block ensures cars remain within the legal ride height limits. The regulations are clear:
- New plank thickness: 10 mm ± 0.2 mm
- Minimum allowed after a race: 9 mm (maximum 1 mm wear)
- Measurement: Taken at designated holes along the plank, regardless of whether titanium or wood is present
- Purpose: Ensures minimum ride height and prevents illegal aerodynamic gains
Wear Limits
The maximum allowed wear is 1mm, meaning the plank and skid blocks must measure at least 9mm after a race.
Specifics
- Combined area of all skid blocks ≤ 20,000mm²
- Individual skid blocks ≤ 4,000mm²
- Must be secured with approved steel fasteners
- No air gaps between skid block/plank and reference plane
Penalties
Exceeding wear limits results in immediate disqualification from the event, emphasizing the importance of proper setup and engineering precision.
Skid Block Penalties Over the Years
Over the years, several Formula 1 drivers have faced disqualification due to excessive skid block (plank) wear, which is considered a breach of technical regulations.
Notable cases include Michael Schumacher with Benetton at the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix, Olivier Panis with Ligier at the 1994 Portuguese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton at the 2023 United States Grand Prix with Mercedes and again at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix with Ferrari, Charles Leclerc at the 2023 United States Grand Prix with Ferrari, and Nico Hülkenberg with Sauber at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix.
More recently, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were officially disqualified, joining the list of notable F1 penalties in history.
Why it is important?
Although small, skid blocks are a vital part of Formula 1’s technical landscape. They protect the integrity of racing regulations, ensure safety at extreme speeds, and even contribute to the sport’s signature visual spectacle.
For teams, mastering the plank and skid block setup is a fine balance between extracting maximum performance and staying within the rules.
