Lance Stroll was the clearest: “We’re playing with fire,” said the Aston Martin Formula 1 driver on the sidelines of the Austrian Grand Prix. He spoke on Saturday night about what had happened a few hours earlier in the Belgian Ardennes. “This curve has to be changed, in a few weeks we will drive there too.”
At the second race of the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) in Spa-Francorchamps, there was a fatal pile-up on Saturday afternoon on a wet road. Dilano van’t Hoff, an 18-year-old junior pilot from the Netherlands, died. FRECA informed about van’t Hoff’s death three hours after the end of the race.
“This is a blind curve”
“We are devastated,” said his team MP Motorsport, lamenting the loss of “one of our greatest Dutch talents.” Another driver, 18-year-old Irishman Adam Fitzgerald, suffered multiple fractures. He was taken to the hospital but is in stable condition, according to his racing team RPM. The accident happened on the last lap of the race, which was then abandoned.
The crash inevitably reminded the industry of the fatal collision in which 22-year-old Frenchman Anthoine Hubert died in Formula 2 in a similar way in August 2019. Also in Spa, also at the exit of the Raidillon curve, albeit on a dry track. “Even if it’s dry: It’s a blind curve,” said Lance Stroll, who is circling in the Ardennes with Formula 1 on the last weekend in July.
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Because of the incline, pilots do not see the exit when entering the passage. Not least because of this ultra-fast combination, the Spa slope is considered to be particularly demanding. And as particularly dangerous. “If you crash into the barrier, slide back onto the track, and then someone comes and hits you at 300 km/h: then you’re done for.” Alpine pilot Pierre Gasly agreed with Stroll: “That shouldn’t have happened. I hope those responsible for security take action now.”
The Frenchman Gasly was friends with Hubert, who died in 2019. Other Formula 1 drivers were more cautious, such as Stroll’s teammate Fernando Alonso. “I don’t know if it’s a specific problem for Spa,” said the two-time champion. The weather gave him more to think about: “The biggest problem is the poor visibility.” Such an accident, said Alonso, could also happen elsewhere in these conditions. Max Verstappen took the same line: “It’s easy to attribute the accident to the track,” said the world champion.
“Then accidents like this happen”
He too struggled with the rainy weather. And with the fact that the FRECA race in Spa was even released again after a safety car phase. “You know,” said Verstappen, and was annoyed, “that you don’t see anything at all when you restart with so much water and spray.” In addition, the pilots would be tempted to risk too much: “Whoever drives in the back has nothing losing keeps you clean and that’s when accidents like this happen.”
Formula 1 has long been looking for ways to reduce the amount of splashing water in the rain. However, this is complicated because of the free-standing wheels inherent in formula cars. The racing teams McLaren and Mercedes will be testing wheel housings for the first time at the British Grand Prix next week, which are to be fitted in future in the rain to alleviate the problem.
A number of drivers, racing teams and Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali sent their condolences to Spielberg van’t Hoff’s family. Before the race on Sunday, Formula 1 wanted to commemorate the deceased with a minute’s silence.
