Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium may be one of the most iconic circuits on the calendar, but it has had its fair share of criticism for being extremely unsafe for drivers. After the tragic passing of Dilano van ’t Hoff at a Formula Regional race in Spa, Lance Stroll joined the F1 community in warning the FIA about the dangers of the circuit in an interview with Sky Sports.
Over the years, we have seen several unsafe crashes at Spa. The track has several high-speed corners with run-off areas that aren’t big enough to slow the cars down, making impact with the barriers. The heartbreaking incident involving Anthoine Hubert and Juan Manuel Correa, which took place in 2019, also proved, just how unsafe the circuit is.
Dilano van’t Hoff has sadly passed away after an accident at Spa-Francorchamps.
He was 18 years old, driving for MP Motorsport in FRECA.
Everyone at Sector 1 Motorsport sends their condolences to his family, friends and the team at this time.#motorsport #freca #dilanovanthoff pic.twitter.com/VxMwpPeWKi
— Sector 1 (@S1Motorsport) July 1, 2023
Spa gets even more dangerous when the conditions are wet, with McLaren star Lando Norris suffering a huge crash two years ago on the circuit. The accident that took 18-year-old Van’t Hoff’s life on Saturday also took place under treacherously wet conditions. As the entire F1 community demands answers from the FIA regarding why the race even took place, Aston Martin star Lance Stroll warns the FIA of the looming threat that comes with racing in Spa.
F1 is “playing with fire” with Spa, insists Lance Stroll
Dilano van ’t Hoff crashed at the same part of the circuit where Hubert crashed and lost his life four years ago. Still, the necessary changes haven’t been made, as was evident with yet another tragedy on display on Saturday. Stroll insists that the FIA needs to do something about that particular corner, and warns that big accidents are always waiting to happen in that particular part of the circuit.
“It’s horrible what happened today,” Stroll said as reported by Autosport. “And we lost a member of the racing family. We seriously need to think about what to do that that corner, because it’s never fun going through there.”
👏👏👏 well said Lance. I hope @F1 @fia @circuitspa listen because this can be allowed never happen again #DilanoVanTHoff #AustrianGP https://t.co/VkCCzhzhot
— ShelbyGT (@MooncakeShelby) July 1, 2023
Stroll, who travels to Spa in a few weeks’ time for the 2023 F1 Belgian GP, went on to say that drivers put their lives on the line every single time they go through that particular corner. The thought is in his head when he is driving through that part of the circuit.
Stroll calls for F1 drivers to take a stance against Spa’s dangerous layout
F1 drivers themselves have a voice that they can use to protest against something which they feel isn’t right. The drivers have a union known as the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) and Mercedes star George Russell is its current president.
After the F1 sprint in Austria on Saturday, Stroll, who felt that the result was irrelevant went on to say that they need to bring up the issue of Spa in their GPDA meetings. Previously, it was brought up, but nothing serious materialized out of it.
Finally, Stroll emphasized on the fact that the changes that he wants Spa to be introduced to, are not just for F1 drivers. But for F2, F3, and drivers of other categories, who sometimes suffer more when they are competing at the highest level.
