“The Danger Is Very Real”: Following the Tragic Loss of 18-Year-Old Dilano Van ‘t Hoff, Max Verstappen Blasts the FIA for Putting Lives at Risk in Treacherous Conditions

The Austrian GP weekend might have been a spectacle for F1 fans. But a tragic accident in SPA-Francorchamps on Saturday had put the entire world of Motorsport in mourning. It was an unfortunate accident at the Formula Regional European Championship in Belgium. That accident took the life of 18-year-old talent Dilano van ‘t Hoff. Tributes and condolences poured in from the entire F1 world. It has been 6 days since that incident and Max Verstappen has felt it right to put the FIA in its place and remind them of their responsibilities.

The Belgian track has been known to be dangerous. The Eau Rouge is one of the trickiest corners on the circuit. And the straight after that has witnessed 2 fatal crashes. One, back in 2019, took the life of F2 racer Anthoine Hubert and the other where van ‘t Hoff lost his life. But according to Verstappen, it is not the nature of the track that is to be blamed. It is the negligence of the FIA to allow young drivers to drive on a wet track with very little visibility.

Verstappen said, as quoted by f1i.autojournal.fr, “Of course, it’s a dangerous corner, but the accident happened beyond that curve. That said, we are going to other tracks where the danger is very real. As long as there is no serious accident, we do not say anything, but I can say that a circuit like Jeddah, especially in the first sector with the fast rows of turns 6-7-8, is even more dangerous than Spa because it is also blind.”

He further added, “I think it’s not honest to blame only the track. What needs to be analyzed first is why they restarted the race in such precarious visibility conditions. We can’t let young pilots throw themselves into a wall of water, blindly, it’s suicidal.”

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The Dutchman is not the only driver to condemn the FIA’s actions. Pierre Gasly too wants a detailed investigation into the matter.

Unlike Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly Believes That the Track Is At Fault

Drivers like Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll have publicly criticized the FIA for still keeping SPA in the racing calendar. In 2019, the full-throttle section after turn 1 had taken the life of Hubert, who was Gasly’s close friend. Now, the incident has repeated itself and it brings up a lot of horrible memories of the Frenchman.

Gasly said, as quoted by grandpremio.com.br, “It just feels wrong. We should never be in the position of losing young talent. So this clearly deserves an investigation. It reminds me of some situations I’ve been in, also in the lower categories at Spa. To be honest, at times I felt in huge danger because of poor visibility. In some situations, I felt quite insecure.”

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Max Verstappen has admitted that the Belgian track is his favorite. Is it because of that he is defending the track? It would sure be foolish on his part if that was the case.