So Sad: Formula 1 lose a top key driver of 24 years due to….
“Unnecessary and heartbreaking,” Max Verstappen comments on the driver’s death at Spa
Following an accident on Saturday, Dilano van ‘t Hoff, 18, passed away.
F1 champion adds, “We have to look at protecting drivers.”
Max Verstappen spearheaded the outpouring of condolences for friends and family following the death of Dutch driver Dilano van ‘t Hoff, 18, on Saturday at Spa. The world champion, who called his countryman’s death needless, also insisted that motorsport take steps to better protect drivers. The famous Eau Rouge-Raidillon turn on the track drew harsh criticism from other racers.
Van ‘t Hoff lost his life in an accident at the Belgian Spa-Francorchamps track. He was involved in a multi-car collision during a wet restart in a Formula Regional European Championship event while driving for MP Motorsport. He seemed to have spun and been struck at a fast speed as he was leaving Eau-Rouge-Raidillon at the beginning in extremely poor visibility owing to spray.of the Kemmel straight by Adam Fitzgerald’s RP Motorsport vehicle.
Verstappen remarked, “It’s really sad.” I was not acquainted with him; he was a promising Dutch race car driver. He shared our aspirations to become Formula One drivers when we were that age. The entire family as well as the MP Motorsport team are devastated.
“We need to investigate these circumstances. Although it is simple to point the finger at the course, given how wet it was and other factors, we should consider how we might protect drivers going forward. In my opinion, today was obviously unnecessary.
Four years prior, on the same stretch of road, Anthoine Hubert had died in a multiple-car disaster during an F2 race.
the pathway.
After multiple catastrophic accidents, particularly those involving the W Series and the Spa 24 Hours, occurred through this portion of the circuit, Spa underwent repairs in late 2021 and early 2022 to increase safety. Notably, in order to keep cars from being redirected back onto the track in the event of an accident, the run-off areas around Raidillon, the high-speed curve that comes before Eau Rouge and runs into the Kemmel straight, were expanded.
However, there was concern among F1 drivers who will race at Spa on 30 July that the Eau Rouge-Raidillon sequence was no longer fit for purpose. “That corner needs to be looked at and changed, because we lost two young talents in like five years,” said Lance Stroll. “We’re going there in a few weeks, every time we go through there we put our lives on the line, today we saw something bad happen. It’s not right.”
His feelings were echoed by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. “It reminds me of situations I’ve been in the younger categories in Spa,” he said. ‘In similar conditions and 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.”
Van ’t Hoff’s MP team said: “We are devastated at the loss of one of our brightest Dutch talents, who brought so much energy to our team during the years he raced with us.
“Dilano has been a part of our racing family since his motorsport debut with MP back in 2021. We offer our sincere condolences to Dilano’s family and his loved ones, and are in full support of them and our team members who have lost not only a driver but a friend as well.”
Formula One’s CEO, Stefano Domenicali, said: “We are so sad to learn of the passing of Dilano van ’t Hoff today at Spa-Francorchamps. Dilano died in pursuit of his dream to reach the pinnacle of motor sport. Along with the entire motorsport community, our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”
Teams posted messages of sympathy on Twitter. Red Bull wrote: “Our hearts go out to Dilano’s family, friends, and the larger motorsport community. Pausing to reflect on the tragic passing of this young man, far too soon.” Mercedes said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Dilano van ’t Hoff following today’s tragic incident,” while McLaren said they were deeply saddened.
There was a minute’s silence before the Formula Two race at the Red Bull Ring, in the buildup to F1’s sprint race.
Van ’t Hoff began racing in single seaters in F4 UAE championship in 2021 and went on to win the Spanish F4 title that year before switching to Formula Regional in 2022.
