Verstappen claims Monaco is ‘a lot more dangerous’ than Spa

Safety at Spa has been brought into sharp focus following the recent death of Dilano van ’t Hoff in a Formula Regional European Championship race earlier this month. 

The tragic accident occurred in wet conditions and near to where Anthoine Hubert was killed in an F2 crash in 2019. 

Both fatal crashes have prompted questions as to whether more can be done to improve safety at the circuit, particularly with rain expected to impact this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. 

Asked if more changes are needed to make Spa safer, Verstappen replied: “There are always things that can be done better.

"We are racing in Monaco, which is a lot more dangerous than here, but we race there because it is deemed safe enough.

"Accidents happen, unfortunately. When you look back at the accident, it was extremely unfortunate the way it happened.

"There is not a lot you can do or change for it to be a lot safer. There are other tracks where you can have a crash and bounce back onto the track, there's low visibility and that can happen again.

"It was unlucky, in a way, that it happened at Spa twice, both close to each other.”

The Red Bull driver added: "I don't think it is track related.

"There are dangerous corners, yes, and in the wet there are always more risks.

"Everyone is competent enough to make the right calls. If it is too wet, it is too wet."

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton insisted he has full faith in the FIA to manage driver safety this weekend, while Pierre Gasly, a close friend of Hubert’s, admitted to having “very contradictory” emotions about racing at Spa.