Who was the ‘biggest idol’ of the late Dutch F1 driver Dilano Van’t Hoff?
Dilano Van't Hoff, who passed away at a FRECA race in Spa, was a devoted follower of Max Verstappen.
Follow Us
It was one of the darkest days in Formula Regionals history yesterday as the eighteen-year old Dutch F4 superstar Dilano Van’t Hoff lost his life to a terrible accident. The teenager was taking part in the Formula Regionals European Championship by Alpine at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit of Belgium. He lost all control of his car after swerving through the Raidillon and reaching the Kemmel straight. A multi-car crash occured which involved at least four of Van’t Hoff’s rivals but he was the only one who suffered fatal injuries.
Van’t Hoff’s death is the second mortality to come from the dangerous curves of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Amidst the rolling hills of the Belgian countryside, while the audience has their eyes peeled for the racing action, an 18-year-old racer lost his life and the FIA came under fire for their neglect. Many people have complained that the situation in Spa was not at all suitable for racing since their was heavy rainfall, yet no red flag was implemented at that time.
While Van’t Hoff’s death has shaken the entire motorsports fans’ community, the racers have also commented on the untimely demise of the youngster. Speaking on the incident, current F1 World Champion Max Verstappen wrote in the caption of a post that he made in honor of the late racer–“Extremely sad to hear the news about Dilano [Van’t Hoff] today. I want to send my condolences to (his) family and loved ones. Rest in peace.” And on this post, one of Dilano’s relatives replied to Max, “You were his biggest idol, thanks Max.”
Related: 18 year old Dutch racing prodigy Dilano Van’t Hoff killed in a “horrific” crash at Spa
Max Verstappen commented on Dilano Van’t Hoff’s shocking death
While Dilano battled for his life and took his last breath, on the same day, Max Verstappen got a pole position at the Austrian GP Qualifying. When the racer was asked for his take on the death of his fellow Dutchman, Max said, “I didn’t know him personally, but he was a Dutch junior driver and had the same dreams we had when we wanted to go to Formula 1. We have to look at these situations, there are things we can do better to protect drivers. This was absolutely unnecessary today.”
No matter what Max Verstappen says, the rules that the FIA have implemented will stay on until a mass protest is initiated to overturn them. As of now, there are very little regulations addressing the races which take place in risky conditions like the one that took Dilano Van’t Hoff’s life. Now, it remains to be seen if the FIA take these criticisms into consideration and correct their rulings on racing in rainy conditions in the near future.
In case you missed it:
Stay Updated!
Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)