Formula 1 drivers have called for changes to be made at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit after a fatal accident on the junior motorsport track in Year 5.
Dilano van t’Hoff, 18, was fatally injured during a high-speed accident in wet conditions while racing in the European Regional Formula Alpine Championship on Saturday morning.
During the initial section of the Kemmel Straight, a rival collided with Van t’Hoff’s rotating vehicle from the side at a considerable velocity, yet a video captured by an observer seemed to indicate that there was no official declaration regarding the reason behind the collision.
FRECA is a series that is often regarded as a stepping stone between Formula 3 and Formula 4, and it is certified by the FIA as a single-seater ladder.
A comprehensive inquiry is scheduled to be conducted into the incident.
The Belgian Grand Prix is one of the most historic events on the calendar, having been first held in 1922 at the undulating track in the Ardennes Forest at Spa-Francorchamps. Formula 1 will return to Spa-Francorchamps for this year’s Belgian Grand Prix from 29-31 July.
The Rouge/Raidillon Eau Spa-Francorchamps complex is one of the most famous motorsport circuits, with steeply rising sections and limited visibility in parts of the valley.
In 2022, modifications to the run-offs were implemented for safety reasons, although the circuit’s topography also poses a challenge, as there is limited space available for runoff areas.
A few meters ahead of the Raidillon complex, Saturday’s accident occurred due to several severe incidents.
In 2019, the most prominent incident occurred when Juan Manuel Correa sustained life-changing injuries and Anthoine Hubert lost his life in a multi-car collision in the Formula 2 race, which is the primary support category for Formula 1.
Accidents and close calls in different tournaments have also occurred. Competitors were hit and thrown back onto the race track by rivals at the complex in W Series, where a multiple-car collision took place in the same year while McLaren’s Lando Norris experienced a high-speed crash during Formula 1 qualifying in wet weather conditions in 2021.
Lance Stroll, the driver of Aston Martin, was the most outspoken about the circumstance.
He stated, “it requires alteration, as we have suffered the loss of two promising individuals within a span of approximately five years, and that particular aspect necessitates scrutiny and modification. The events that unfolded were unjust.”
“We’re heading there in a couple of weeks, it’s devastating what occurred today, we lost a member of the racing community.
Currently, it’s not good. Today, we witnessed something unpleasant, which made us realize how fragile our lives are. Every time we go through that line, we never experience any enjoyment. We seriously need to consider what we can do to make the most out of that situation.
“All individuals pass by that turn. F3 youngsters, F2 youngsters, and not only us. Once again, in a few weeks, engaging in risky behavior, you know, they must take action.”
If you accelerate your car to 300 km/h, it will collide with a wall when you reach a blind corner. Even if the road is dry, someone may lose control of their car.
Gasly, the Alpine driver, asserted that we should never be in positions where we are losing young talent, and the first time is not the place to take it.
I felt really unsafe in various situations at Spa, where visibility was poor and there was a massive danger. There were times when I honestly felt fully in danger and in similar conditions, I’ve been in situations of that kind. Gasly agreed that the area of the circuit is “explained as ‘risky'”.
If I don’t know, it’s a problem in itself. The biggest thing I think is poor visibility, which means we cannot drive at certain circuits at a certain speed. I know that visibility is the issue, whether it’s the visibility on the track or the speed. Fernando Alonso, my teammate Martin Aston Stroll, added that too.
I guess if you find yourself in the middle of the straight at Monza, it’s just that something happened again today and the visibility is poor.
De Vries from AlphaTauri emphasized “that it still shows there is a serious danger in the motorsport”, so we should look forward and consider the situation twice in order to avoid any serious incident.