According to Max Verstappen, the F1 series must accept the risks of rainy weather or completely stop competing in wet weather.
The weekend of the F1 series in Belgium at Spa-Francorchamps could be at stake.
The track has been promised rain for the weekend. F1 drivers are demanding that the FIA cancel the weekend’s races if the weather conditions are too difficult.
Two years ago, the Spa race was stopped after two rounds due to rainy weather.
– Everyone wants to race, but when you drive at a speed of more than 320 kilometers per hour and you can’t see 50 meters in front of you, big accidents happen, chairman of the F1 drivers’ association, Mercedes driver George Russell said.
The fabled track is considered one of the most dangerous in motorsport. It has claimed the lives of two young drivers in the last four years.
In 2019 Anthony Hubert22 died in the F2 competition and 18 years old Dilano van’t Hoff last June in the FRECA series race.
According to Russel, the rain and Spa’s track is a difficult combination for drivers.
– There is practically no visibility. Like driving on the freeway and turning off the wipers. That’s how it feels in the cockpit. There is no quick solution to the problem, in my opinion the track is safe enough. You just have to come up with a solution for visibility.
Both Deaths occurred in almost the same place after the uphill corners Eau Rouge and Raidillon. The drivers lost control of the car, after which the driver coming from behind crashed into them.
Visibility is poor at the end of the bend leading up the hill, and the straight after it is a very dangerous place. At the time of Van’t Hoff’s accident, it was raining heavily, which reduced visibility even more.
According to Russell, the fatal crash in June was only a matter of time.
– When drivers don’t drive in a straight line due to visibility, the back of a competitor is hit, then the car is in the middle of the track.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc according to Eau Rouge, the tire ramps should be moved further to give the drivers more space.
– If you lose control of the car, at the moment you will bounce off the embankment and probably end up on the road. It should be changed in the future.
The overwhelming number one in the series Max Verstappen’s by The F1 series must accept that there are always risks in rainy weather or stop racing in wet conditions.
– Visibility in the rain will always be bad. There’s not much you can do about it.
According to Verstappen, driving in the rain is even more difficult nowadays, because the wider F1 cars with bigger tires cause even bigger water jets.