“The race control has blood on their hands”- Fan outrage erupts as race-Marshals’ blunder claims the life of 18-year-old Dutch racer Delano van’t Hoff at Spa

Fans accuse FIA of double standards in treatment of junior category drivers.

“The race control has blood on their hands”- Fan outrage erupts as race-Marshals’ blunder claims the life of 18-year-old Dutch racer Delano van’t Hoff at Spa

FRECA driver Dilano van't Hoff (Image credit: PlanetF1)

Delano Van’t Hoff, a Formula Regional European driver, tragically lost his life in a wet race crash at Spa-Francorchamps. The incident occurred during a late restart in the second race of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, held as a support event for the Spa 24 Hours endurance race.

Despite the poor visibility caused by the spray, the FRECA broadcast failed to capture the incident, instead placing its focus on another driver’s spin. However, footage shared on social media suggests that Adam Fitzgerald struck Van’t Hoff, representing MP Motorsport, at full speed after the latter spun. Van’t Hoff, who was only a few weeks away from turning 19, sadly succumbed to the severe impact.

YouTube video

However, the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency), the governing body for all major forms of motorsport, is under hot water for this incident. The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, too, saw rain lashing down. And after a few laps behind the safety car, the race was called off.

FS Video

Also read: 18 year old Dutch racing prodigy Dilano Van ‘T Hoff killed in a “horrific” crash at Spa

Fans lay blame on FIA for the tragic death of Dilano van’t Hoff

MP Motorsport driver Dilano van’t Hoff (Image credit: Formula Regional)

After the death of the teenager, F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, expressed the series’ sadness upon learning about the passing of Van’t Hoff. However, fans on X were outraged after such an avoidable incident.

One user bluntly conveyed their thoughts, calling the FIA irresponsible for their actions.

Fia, when are we gonna learn? Your inconsistencies and incompetence cost another life.” ONE LIFE LOST IS TOO MUCH. COME ON.

Another user pointed out the inexperience of the young drivers. “All of them are so young, with barely any experience, and they were allowed to race in this?? So f*cking stupid it makes me MAD,” their Tweet read.

A different user highlighted the FIA’s hypocrisy regarding drivers from the junior levels.

If Spa 2021 was ruled unsafe for F1 DRIVERS, how did anyone in their right mind even THINK that it was safe enough for young drivers?

Another user highlighted the importance of driver safety.

Entertainment shouldn’t be above safety.

One user called for immediate change to be made at Spa.

Something needs to be done about the safety in spa, have we learnt nothing?

While another user asked for the officials in charge to be sacked tweeting,

Whoever decided it was safe to race should get fired.

https://twitter.com/ferrarIeclerc/status/1675109573215113217

Four years after Anthoine Hubert‘s tragic death in a F2 crash at the same section of the track, Dilano Van’t Hoff joined single-seaters in 2021. His debut in the F4 United Arab Emirates winter series resulted in a second-place finish. He narrowly missed out on the championship title by a single point to Enzo Trulli, son of Jarno Trulli.

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