Dilano
Van t Hoff

von Fornel 1 Spa am 02.07.2023 - 00:52 Uhr | melden

The death of Dilano van ‘t Hoff in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday has once again placed safety concerns at the circuit in the spotlight — and gotten F1 drivers talking about the track where they’re scheduled to race the final weekend of July.
The 18-year-old driver’s fatal accident occurred between the Raidillon turn and the Kemmel Straight, one of the fastest points on the track and not far from where Anthoine Hubert died in 2019 during a Formula Two race in a very similar accident. Former Williams F1 development driver Jack Aitken sustained a broken collarbone and fractured vertebrae here during 2021’s edition of Spa 24 Hours sportscar race, while a six-car collision at Eau Rouge — the fast right-hand, uphill corner prior to Raidillon — during a 2021 W Series weekend also raised safety concerns.
The issue is less the sequence of Eau Rouge, Raidillon and the Kemmel Straight but rather the run-off area and barrier at the top of the hill exiting Raidillon. Given the drivers’ speed heading into the sequence, if a car crashes into the barrier, they risk ricocheting into oncoming traffic, as seen in the accidents that claimed the lives of van ‘t Hoff and Hubert. It’s a blind spot for other drivers as they crest the hill, meaning they have little time to react to a slow or stationary car in the middle of the track.
“Even if it’s dry and someone loses the car, it’s a blind corner – hit the wall, car comes out, 300 plus km/h (186 mph), you’re toast,” Lance Stroll said Saturday.
Changes were made to the track ahead of the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, such as tweaking the radius of Eau Rouge, expanding the run-off areas at Raidillon and pushing back the barrier. But van ‘t Hoff’s death shows the layout of the track continues to pose this grave risk, especially given the wet conditions like those on Saturday.
News of the accident led to tributes from throughout the F1 world. But the message from many of the drivers, who will return to Spa at the end of this month for the Belgian Grand Prix, was clear: Change is required.
“We have to look into these kind of situations. It’s easy to blame the track, but I think also looking at how wet it was and these kind of things,” Max Verstappen said. “Definitely (there are) 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, clearly.”
‘Playing with fire’
The Eau Rouge to Kemmel straight sequence is one of the most thrilling locations on F1’s calendar, but at what cost?
“Every time we go through there, we put our lives on the line,” Stroll said. “Today we saw something bad happen. It’s not right.”
It’s been discussed before, Stroll added, but “then it blows over.” When asked whether changes would’ve been made if it wasn’t an iconic corner, the Canadian driver was blunt: “We’re losing lives in that corner. It has to change. For me, it’s not even a discussion.”
“You know, (they’re) playing with fire.”

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali observes a moment of silence following the death of Formula Regional driver Dilano van ‘t Hoff. (Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Racing is inherently risky. The question is how to make it safer.
“We all cherish Spa because of the track that it is. But is there something that we need to look at?” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Pierre Gasly, who was close friends with Hubert, hadn’t seen the video of van ‘t Hoff’s accident. But he opened up about just how “risky” the corner felt, particularly given that he’s navigated it in similar conditions during his junior career.
“Being fully honest, there were times I did feel in massive danger just with poor visibility and various situations where it just feels pretty unsafe,” the Alpine driver said. “But I don’t know exactly what happened. We do a risky sport, which is always going to remain risky whatever we do with the speed that we go at.
“It definitely needs a very deep investigation just for the future of that sport.”
Learning lessons
In all FIA-run championships, such as F1 and F2, motorsport’s governing body conducts a full investigation into major accidents through its safety department. Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine is an FIA-certified series, meaning the process will be slightly different, but the FIA will support the championship, the local authorities and various stakeholders.
The FIA compiles all of the data and details from serious accidents in its linked championships in a bid to understand what safety improvements can be made. It did so in the wake of Hubert’s fatal accident at Spa in 2019, and, more recently, with Romain Grosjean’s fiery crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. The accident that claimed van ‘t Hoff’s life will be no different.
But as Stroll and Gasly highlighted, it will only further the call for change at Spa. As legendary as the circuit may be, renowned for its unparalleled challenge and undulating layout, particularly through the Eau Rouge/Raidillon sequence, safety must come first.
“Learn, learn, learn,” said Wolff. “How can we improve the safety furthermore? What are the steps that we can take, and make sure that young lives are protected as best as possible?”
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(Lead photo: James Moy Photography/Getty Images)