Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu has known as for Spa-Francorchamps to reinstate the chicane at its well-known Eau Rouge nook, which was final used virtually 30 years in the past, following a second fatality on the circuit in 4 years.
Formulation Regional European Championship driver Dilano Van ‘T Hoff died in a crash on the circuit on Saturday. The tragic accident occurred after a late Security Automobile restart, when Van ‘T Hoff spun on the Kemmel kink in streaming moist situations, and was struck by the automobile of rival Adam Fitzgerald.
The 18-year-old MP Motorsport driver died because of the crash whereas Fitzgerald was hospitalised.
The crash introduced again recollections of the dying of Anthoine Hubert throughout a race in 2019. The Formulation 2 driver suffered deadly accidents after he was struck by Juan-Manuel Correa at Raidillon, just some hundred metres previous to the scene of final week’s deadly accident.
Hubert’s crash, which occured in dry situations, led to adjustments to the run-off areas across the Eau Rouge and Raidillon complicated. Nonetheless Zhou – who was Hubert’s group mate on the Renault group’s junior driver programme on the time of his crash, believes extra drastic adjustments are wanted to the configuration of Eau Rouge and Raidillon, which is likely one of the quickest and most well-known nook sequences utilized in F1.
“From my facet, the observe structure wants to vary,” Zhou advised media together with RaceFans at Silverstone. “I misplaced a buddy of mine in 2019 – Anthoine – so it form of hurts there.
“It’s an iconic nook, for certain, however only for security, we’ve misplaced too many lives prior to now and I feel it’s time [for change].”
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A sluggish chicane was put in on the nook in 1994, in response to a collection of significant crashes together with the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola. Zhou believes putting in a chicane of that kind on the nook would make it safer.
“I noticed some movies of, I feel 1994, the place there was somewhat sluggish chicane,” Zhou defined. “I feel it’s the fitting approach ahead.
“I feel the grandstand they will transfer backwards – they’ve house there. Nonetheless overtaking is feasible, lap one, with the slipstream, however it’s a decrease velocity, so the whole lot occurs much less easy.”
The dearth of visibility from automobiles exiting Raidillon and onto the Kemmel Straight in full moist situations can be a significant security concern, Zhou stated.
“I feel firstly, with the accident, they shouldn’t have restarted the race, as a result of they did so many laps behind the Security Automobile,” he stated.
“It’s a bit like Suzuka final 12 months for us. I didn’t understand how we began the race. On lap one, I actually noticed nothing. I used to be simply guessing on the brake pedal the place I ought to brake, beginning additional again on the grid – which is the case for the junior class. The visibility made individuals spin, they couldn’t see something earlier than a driver acquired T-boned.”
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Spa will maintain the Belgian Grand Prix on the finish of the month, supported by Formulation 2 and Formulation 3. Zhou believes the junior collection ought to proceed to race on the observe, however stated the difficulties posed by poor visibility must be taken significantly.
“It is dependent upon how a lot the spray is,” he stated in response to a query from RaceFans. “As a result of you possibly can’t base it on, let’s say, the Security Automobile or the chief – you need to base it on the man for P10 and downwards. That’s the place you may have the motion and that’s the place the visibility is absolutely low. So we’d must see.
“I’m certain Formulation 1 and all the opposite classes are conscious, however it’s too late. It’s occurred prior to now and a nook like that, you can’t see that a lot till you really hit somebody, which isn’t good for us.”
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2023 British Grand Prix
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