Formula 1 cars have a regulated plank fitted to the underside to discourage teams from running them too close to the track. Repeated contact wears it down, and officials check its thickness at specified points. If it falls outside the applicable technical rules, the car can be disqualified—even after finishing a race. “Wooden plank” is familiar shorthand, but it does not mean every current plank is literally made of wood.
What the plank does
Formula 1’s glossary describes the plank as a flat rectangle fitted underneath the car. Its purpose is to help ensure teams are not running the car too close to the ground: when the underside repeatedly contacts the track, the plank wears. That makes it a regulated wear surface and a way to police how low a car is run—not a suspension component or a device that directly creates grip. (Formula 1 glossary)
The plank is not a simple ground-clearance gauge that requires every part of the car to stay a fixed number of millimetres above the road at all times. The rules define the component, its measurements and inspection points. Wear is assessed against those requirements, rather than by judging how scraped the underside looks.
Plank and skid blocks: what is the difference?
The plank is the long underside component or assembly; skids are localized wear pieces associated with designated areas on it. In a historical FIA media briefing, then-Race Director Charlie Whiting put it simply: “the plank is the long bit of wood, the skids are bits of metal within the plank.” That is a useful conceptual distinction, not a specification for every modern car. (FIA media briefing)
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The “wooden” label also needs qualification. Formula 1’s glossary says the plank is usually made of fiberglass, while later technical rules describe material properties and geometry rather than simply requiring wood. The terminology has endured, but the name alone does not establish the exact material in a current car.
How officials check wear
Officials measure thickness at prescribed locations, including around designated holes in the plank. That is why visible scraping by itself cannot tell you whether a car has passed inspection: the relevant question is whether the regulated thickness remains at the required measurement points under the rules for that season.
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Those requirements can change between regulatory editions. Formula 1’s account of the 2023 rules said a new plank assembly was 10 mm ± 0.2 mm thick, with 9 mm as the minimum accepted after wear, measured at the peripheries of designated holes. Those are 2023 figures, not a current 2026 threshold. (Formula 1’s 2023 U.S. Grand Prix explainer)
The FIA’s regulation index lists 2026 Section C Issue 20, dated 5 August 2026 and posted on 1 October 2026. An exact current wear minimum should not be inferred from older regulations; the applicable Issue 20 text is needed to confirm it. (FIA regulations index)
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Why plank wear can disqualify a car
A car must comply with the technical rules throughout the event, and a failed post-race inspection can invalidate its result. At the 2023 United States Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified after their cars’ skid blocks failed the plank-wear requirement. Formula 1’s report noted the bumpy Circuit of The Americas surface and the Sprint weekend’s limited setup time as context; it did not establish that bumps alone caused the breaches. The threshold discussed in that report belongs to the 2023 rules, not the current 2026 regulations. (Formula 1’s 2023 U.S. Grand Prix explainer)
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why F1 introduced the plank
Formula 1 says the plank was introduced in 1994 to ensure cars were not run too close to the ground. Its wear provides officials with a measurable check on a regulated underside component, rather than relying on a visual impression of how low a car appears to sit. (Formula 1’s explainer)
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