Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc said the FIA should not feel pressured into running sessions if the conditions are too wet. The sprint race format this weekend will result in qualifying on Friday evening, sprint shootout qualifying on Saturday afternoon, the 100 km sprint race on Saturday evening and the full grand prix on Sunday. But we don't want to see a huge incident as we've just seen." "Obviously, to have a race cancelled is not perfect for anybody. Drivers aren't going flat out in the straight because they can't see, then somebody gets rear-ended and then there's a car in the middle of the track. "I felt like the incident that happened in FRECA, it was only really a matter of time before something like that happened. But it's when you've got 20 cars on track at once, and anybody from third position backwards literally cannot see from here to this wall, so you're talking 20, 30, 40 metres. "For one single Formula One car to drive around, the conditions are safe enough and suitable enough to drive. "I think two years ago, that was the correct decision to call the race off," Russell said. The decision attracted criticism at the time, but Russell believes the FIA should always put safety first. In 2021, the Belgian Grand Prix lasted just two laps behind the safety car before it was called off because of the conditions. We just need to find a solution for visibility." There's not really any short-term solutions, I personally think Spa is safe enough. "That's genuinely how it feels in the cockpit. The way I describe it to try and give some perspective is driving down the motorway in pouring rain and turning your windscreen wipers off. It's the visibility, we just have no visibility whatsoever. "Then when you've got a combination of the weather, it's very challenging. "If you were to put a ranking of risk of all of the circuits, for sure Spa is one of the riskier circuits, along with Jeddah, along with Monaco, for example. "The fact is motorsport will always be dangerous when you're travelling at these speeds. "The two questions are whether Spa is safe enough and then it's the question of the conditions," Russell said. Van 't Hoff's fatal accident was the second in four years at the circuit, following Anthoine Hubert's death at Spa-Francorchamps during a Formula 2 race in 2019.Īhead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, which is being run to F1's new sprint format and is forecast to be wet throughout, safety concerns were raised by Mercedes driver George Russell, who is also a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. The accident, which occurred on the Kemmel straight after Spa-Francorchamps' famous Eau Rouge and Raidillon corners, sent shockwaves through the sport and resulted in Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll calling for changes to the layout of the circuit. SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium - Formula One drivers have called on the sport's governing body, the FIA, to be brave enough to call off this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix if conditions become too dangerous.ĭutch teenager Dilano van 't Hoff died in an accident at Spa-Francorchamps earlier this month while racing in heavy rain at a Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA). You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserį1 drivers raise concerns about racing in wet at Belgian GP
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