Charles Leclerc has been wary of the Belgian GP ever since he lost his best friend Anthoine Hubert in a tragic incident at Spa. Now after the untimely death of the 18-year-old Dilano Van ‘t Hoff at the exact same corner, the terror of Eau Rouge has spread even more. Following all of this and the prevailing poor conditions on the track, Leclerc has advised a track layout change to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
With the teams already having arrived at the circuit, there was quite some concern about the weather. Ahead of the Sprint weekend, it was already raining throughout the day on Thursday as the teams completed their walks around the track. It is expected to be a wet weekend with large dark clouds looming over the circuit.
Morning team 👋
Weather for today? Wet 🌧️#Alpine #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/f9bFWLkhy1
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) July 27, 2023
Leclerc even claimed that with everything that has happened at Spa in the last few years, no one should complain if the FIA decides to cancel the race because of visibility issues. This did happen in 2021 when there were only two laps of ‘racing’ behind the safety car before the race was called off.
Charles Leclerc wants a change in the Eau Rogue – Raidillion section
Charles Leclerc has yet another alternative to solve the issue with Spa – a change in the track layout. As per Motorsport Week, Leclerc explained that one of the ways to go about it is modifying the Eau Rouge – Raidillion section of the track.
He said, “First of all, the walls on the straight after Eau Rouge, we should have a bit more space on the left and right.” Leclerc believes that this will prevent the cars from bouncing back against the wall into the track, something that happened in the cases of both Hubert and Van ‘t Hoff.
leclerc believes there should be no complaints from drivers or fans if sessions are cancelled at SPA.
🆑: “i think there are some changes that could make a difference. first of all the walls on the straight after eau rouge, we should have a bit more space on the left and right.” pic.twitter.com/MhdamdxRrb
— leclerc data (@leclercdata) July 27, 2023
Leclerc then explained how difficult it actually is for the drivers to race during wet conditions. The Monegasque said that it is difficult to put into words how less they can actually see during the rain. He said, “We are not exaggerating when we say we don’t see anything, we really don’t see anything when it’s raining.”
Leclerc trusts the FIA
Charles Leclerc showed a lot of trust in the FIA as he spoke about the issues with driving in the wet. He commented that it is quite easy to say but difficult actually to find a proper solution to these pertinent problems.
🆑: “we’re not exaggerating when we say we don’t see anything, we really don’t see anything when it’s raining.
this is a really big problem for F1, for motorsport in general. any single seaters, we have quite a bit of downforce and there is quite a lot of spray.” pic.twitter.com/amMVIZLIta
— leclerc data (@leclercdata) July 27, 2023
However, he believes the FIA is trying its best to solve them. Leclerc then pointed out that safety should always be the first priority. The FIA should not feel any pressure to start the race if they feel it is unsafe enough. Overall, more than just an exciting race, the F1 world wants exciting races without any tragedies.
