“Today was absolutely unnecessary”
Verstappen demands corrections after accidental death
7/1/2023 6:39 p.m
The accidental death of young racing driver Dilano van’t Hoff shocked the motorsport scene. Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen mourns the loss of his compatriot. At the same time, he takes responsibility for the racing series and calls for improvements.
Max Verstappen was hit hard by his compatriot Dilano van’t Hoff’s fatal accident at a junior race in Belgium. “Extremely sad to hear the news about Dilano today,” wrote the two-time Formula 1 world champion while preparing for the sprint race in Spielberg. Van’t Hoff had previously had an accident at Spa-Francorchamps and died at the age of just 18. The junior racing series and his Dutch team MP Motorsport had confirmed his death, and the International Automobile Association had also sent condolences.
“I didn’t know him personally, but he was a young Dutch driver and had the same dreams that we had when we wanted to get into Formula 1,” said Verstappen after his victory in Styria and demanded: “We have to face these situations look, there are things that can be done better to protect drivers, today was totally unnecessary.” However, it was too “easy to blame the track alone. We should also look at how wet it was and things like that.”
“It’s not fair what happened. This passage needs to be reviewed and changed because we lost two young talents within four or five years,” said Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll.
What exactly happened in the second race of the Formula Regional junior series on the demanding Grand Prix circuit not far from the German border has yet to be fully elucidated. Live images showed how an accident occurred on a rain-soaked track with poor visibility and a lot of spray because a driver lost control of his car. According to the Dutch newspaper “AD”, van’t Hoff had spun with his car. He was then said to have been hit by another car.
Bad memory of Hubert’s death
“My deepest sympathy to Dilano family and friends,” wrote Mercedes replacement driver Mick Schumacher from Spielberg. The French racing team Alpine, which co-organizes the Formula 3 series Formula Regional European Championship, was also “deeply sad”. “Heartbreaking. Rest in peace,” Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc posted on Instagram. “All my thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones,” wrote Pierre Gasly.
The Frenchman had already mourned the accidental death of his compatriot Anthoine Hubert four years ago. He died in a mass accident almost at the same place as van’t Hoff at the age of 22 in August 2019. A competitor crashed into the Frenchman’s car with full force after it spun. The security measures in Spa were then increased again.
At the end of this month, Formula 1 will also return to Spa-Francorchamps. The course is legendary, it is the longest on the racing calendar. The 7.004 kilometers up and down are demanding and dangerous.