“Protect drivers,” Max Verstappen demands immediate action from FIA after heart-rending death of 18-year-old Dilano Van’t Hoff at Spa.

Despite the conditions warranting a red flag, the race went ahead resulting in a catastrophic multi-car collision at Radillon.

“Protect drivers,” Max Verstappen demands immediate action from FIA after heart-rending death of 18-year-old Dilano Van’t Hoff at Spa.

Max Verstappen and Dilano Van't Hoff (Credits: The Independent)

Following the tragic death of 18-year-old Dutch driver Dilano van’t Hoff at Spa, Max Verstappen expressed sympathy for his family and friends. Van’t Hoff lost his life in a multi-car crash at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit while participating in a FRECA race for MP Motorsport. The incident occurred during a restart in wet conditions, with poor visibility caused by spray.

The world champion Max Verstappen, speaking to the media, also called for immediate action to enhance driver safety, referring to his fellow countryman’s passing as an unnecessary tragedy. Rather than shifting blame onto the nature of Spa’s track, Verstappen believes there should be more focus and investigation on how wet it was, among other factors.

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He said, “We have to look into these situations. It is easy to blame the track but looking at how wet it was and these kind of things. Definitely things that we have to look at for the future what we can do better to protect drivers. Because I think today, it was unnecessary.”

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Max Verstappen expressed his deep sadness over the tragic incident, stating that he did not have a personal acquaintance with Dilano van ‘t Hoff but recognized him as a promising young Dutch driver. Van’t Hoff shared the same aspirations as Verstappen and others, aspiring to reach F1. The world champion extended his sympathies to Van’t Hoff’s entire family and the MP Motorsport team, acknowledging the profound sorrow felt by all those affected.

Related: “Heartbreaking,” F1 drivers pay their respects to the tragic death of young Dutch driver Dilano Van’t Hoff

Changes have been made to Spa as of late, but they aren’t adequate to prevent tragedies

Radillon at Spa-Francorchamps (Credits: PlanetF1)
Radillon at Spa-Francorchamps (Credits: PlanetF1)

The tragic incident involving Van’t Hoff occurred just four years after the untimely death of Anthoine Hubert, who was involved in a multi-car crash during an F2 race on the same part of the track, the notorious Radillon section. In recent years, from 2021 to 2022, safety renovations were carried out at Spa to address the recurring accidents in this particular track section, including incidents in the W Series and the Spa 24 Hours.

Notably, improvements were made to the run-off areas around Raidillon, the high-speed corner that follows Eau Rouge and leads into the Kemmel straight. These enhancements involved extending the run-off areas to prevent cars from being deflected back onto the track in the event of an accident.

However, because race control went forward with the event despite the treacherous conditions which have claimed lives before, it brings their consideration of driver safety into question, more so than the track’s layout. In the 2021 F1 Belgian Grand Prix, similar weather conditions led to a Safety Car period for a few laps, followed by a lengthy red flag interruption before the race concluded.

Yet with this approach not being adopted at Spa’s FRECA race, it is clear that the FIA’s consistency is lacking. Now, with another young driver’s life lost, it should serve as a wake-up call to prioritize driver safety over entertainment in every instance. Thus, Max Verstappen calling for action to be taken is necessary.

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