Dilano van 't Hoff was killed in a multi-car collision at Spa-Francorchamps; Lance Stroll calls for changes to be made to Belgian circuit with fatal crash in similar area of track to where Anthoine Hubert died in a 2019 F2 crash
Sunday 2 July 2023 07:17, UK
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll has called for changes to be made to Spa-Francorchamps after 18-year-old Dilano van 't Hoff was killed in a crash at the circuit on Saturday.
Dutch driver Van 't Hoff was racing in the Formula Regional European Championship and died after a multi-car accident at the beginning of the Kemmel Straight in wet conditions.
Amid other cars going off at the exit of Raidillon, Van 't Hoff appeared to lose control and was hit at high speed when stranded in the middle of the track at the beginning of the straight.
The incident occurred in a similar area of the track to where Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert was killed in 2019.
Speaking after the Austrian GP Sprint, Stroll called for changes to be made to improve safety at the Belgian circuit through Eau Rouge and Raidillon.
"It's a tragic day for motorsport. We lost a driver today so I want everyone to think about that," Stroll told Sky Sports F1.
"My thoughts are with him today and it breaks my heart it happened.
"I think Eau Rouge at Spa needs some looking into because we've lost two drivers now in a span of four or five years.
"It's a really dangerous corner, we say it every year and it's not fair what happened today.
"I think that corner has to change. It's way too dangerous and I think every time we go through there there's an accident waiting to happen and today it happened again and we lost a young kid. It's not fair.
"We have to talk about it, it's two drivers in a span of five years. That corner needs some changing. It's a sad day for racing."
Formula 1 races at Spa at the end of this month, with the Belgian GP taking place from July 28-30.
World champion Max Verstappen said: "We have to look into these kind of situations.
"It's easy to blame the track but I also think looking at how wet it was and these kind of things, we need to look at what we can do in the future to better protect drivers."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said. "I'm sure the FIA will look into it and see what we need to improve.
"We all cherish Spa because of the track that it is but is there something we need to look at?
"It's terrible and you feel so much for such a young boy losing his life in a junior category. It's beyond words.
"Learn, learn, learn and how can we improve the safety furthermore and what are the steps that we can take and make sure young lives are protected as best as possible. It is a dangerous sport."
