“I Trust the FIA”: While Toto Wolff Sends Stern Warning, Lewis Hamilton Instills Faith in the Governing Body to Take Needed Steps After Tragic Death

Ever since the fatal accident of Jules Bianchi in 2014, Formula 1 has focused considerable energy on making the sport safer. The primary focus is put on the safety of the drivers via improvement modifications on the cars. The Halo was the outcome of this initiative and has made a massive impact on increasing driver safety. However, despite the safety features trickling down to the feeder series, we have already witnessed two fatalities in the past five years. The latest incident came at the expense of Dilano van ‘t Hoff. The young Dutchman became the second driver to lose his life on the legendary Spa-Francorchamps. However, opposing his boss Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton made a statement putting faith in the FIA to right the wrong.

The Mercedes boss was unapologetic in addressing the unfortunate incident and sent out a stern warning. Many have expressed their opinion on how to deal with the Eau Rouge, the corner responsible for the accident. However, Hamilton, as quoted by Motorsport-Total, is putting his faith in the governing body instead of making a suggestion.

“As a driver, you love the Eau Rouge, but you can’t let it sit like that,” warned Toto Wolff. “If two young people who can’t help it die there, you have to change the route.” (Translated by Google)

Hamilton took a more trusting approach and said, “I trust the FIA ​​because they have done a great job in terms of safety. They make so many changes to every track year after year and I’m sure they’ll be looking very closely at Eau Rouge to see if there’s anything we can improve on or not.”

Read More: Pierre Gasly Fights Tough Emotions As Dilano Van ’t Hoff’s Fatal Accident Triggers Old Wounds

However, there is a different school of thought which blames a different variable and not just the tricky corner.

Differing school of thought from Lewis Hamilton and Co. blames the weather

The variable blamed that turned the accident that cost van ‘t Hoff his life is rain. During a race, the rain makes the conditions extremely tricky and dangerous. In fact, many drivers have attested that on a wet track, visibility becomes extremely poor. Driving at such high speeds with poor visibility is always extremely dangerous. The FIA has recognized this aspect and has started testing a solution.

To tackle the poor visibility, the FIA is testing new wheel covers. These covers will limit the spray from the cars considerably and improve the visibility of the following vehicle.

McLaren’s Lando Norris also attested to the same while speaking about the dangers of racing on a wet track. “You can’t see anything at all,” confirms Norris. “You don’t have a chance to react. And that can happen in Spa, it could have happened here [in Spielberg] too.” 

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Now there is a lot of discussion about the safety feature at Spa. It will be interesting to see if the FIA forces change after this incident.