Tragedy struck at Spa last weekend when 18-year-old Formula Regional driver Dilano van ‘t Hoff lost his life in a horrific accident. The Dutchman was hit by a following car while stationary on the Kemmel straight during a last-lap. Restart in heavy rain, resulting in significantly reduced visibility. This marks the second fatal incident at the circuit in four years. Following Anthoine Hubert’s tragic death in F2 in 2019. Discover Verstappen; Jeddah still “more dangerous” than Spa amid F1 safety concerns.
In the wake of Hubert’s passing, safety measures were implemented at Spa. With barriers pushed back to reduce the likelihood of crashed cars bouncing back into harm’s way. However, van ‘t Hoff’s accident, which occurred further up the road, has raised fresh safety concerns about the historic venue. Lance Stroll of Aston Martin expressed his apprehension, stating that F1 is “playing with fire” by returning to Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix without modifying the Eau Rouge and Raidillon complex. The incident has sparked a debate about whether additional safety measures are needed at the circuit.
Max Verstappen, the current world champion, acknowledged the danger of the iconic Eau Rouge and Raidillon corner combination at Spa. However, he also pointed out that the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia. A recent addition to the calendar, poses even greater risks.
Verstappen believes that Spa can make improvements to enhance safety.
It would be unjust to solely blame the circuit’s layout. He emphasized that adverse weather conditions. Such as the heavy rain that contributed to van ‘t Hoff’s accident, can make any track equally dangerous. Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, added that the incident highlights the limitations of running modern single-seaters in certain weather conditions, despite the pressure to avoid weather-related delays and red flags.
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