Max Verstappen cools Spa safety fears with one F1 track even more dangerous

Max Verstappen has singled out another circuit as being more dangerous than Spa-Francorchamps.

All eyes are on Spa-Francorchamps ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, with torrential rain battering the circuit ahead of the weekend’s sprint race and Grand Prix.

With a recent fatality taking place at the circuit as 18-year-old Dutch racer Dilano van ‘t Hoff passed away earlier this month after being hit in similarly wet conditions, many of the drivers have expressed fears about safety heading into the race.

Max Verstappen: Monaco is more dangerous

But Max Verstappen was not one of the voices of concern heading into the weekend, with the reigning World Champion saying that there are always changes that can be made to improve safety – but nothing specific is needed for Spa as a reaction to the crash.

“There are always things that can be done better, but we are also racing in Monaco, which I think is way more dangerous than here,” he told media, including PlanetF1.com.

“But we raced there because it’s deemed safe enough.

“Yeah, accidents happen, unfortunately. Honestly, when you look back at the accident that happened, it is extremely unfortunate the way it happened.

“I don’t think there’s a lot you can do, or change for it to be a lot safer, because there are also other tracks out there that, if you have a crash and you’re back onto the track and there’s very low visibility, that can happen again.

“It’s just a bit, I guess, unlucky in a way as well that it happens at Spa two times quite close to each other.”

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Verstappen believes race director Niels Wittich has enough experience now in Formula 1 and the resources around him to make calls on when it is safe to go racing in the wet, but with several drivers having noted visibility as the main concern in such conditions with these cars, Verstappen says that is always going to be bad.

The alternative to his mind then would be to scrap wet-weather racing in Formula 1 entirely.

“We have spent quite a bit of time in briefings and I think, also from his side now he’s done quite a few races now,” said Verstappen.

“I think you also listen to the Safety Car a bit. I think you will know if it’s safe or not. But the visibility is going to be bad anyway. Otherwise, we cannot have any rain races anymore.”

Verstappen takes a 110-point lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez into the Belgian Grand Prix.

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