SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Dutch driver Dilano van ’t Hoff died after a crash during the Formula Regional European Championship on Saturday, organizers, said. He was 18.
Van ‘t Hoff died at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, The Guardian reported. He was competing for MP Motorsport and was involved in a multiple-car accident during a restart in wet conditions, according to the newspaper.
The driver from the Netherlands, who won the 2021 Spanish Formula 4 championship, was competing on the Belgian Grand Prix circuit when he crashed on Saturday, The Associated Press reported. The morning race was a prelude to the 24 Hours of Spa race, held later in the day.
It is unclear what caused the accident.
Everyone associated with the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa is devastated by the news that Formula Regional EU by Alpine driver Dilano van ’t Hoff lost his life in an accident during this morning’s race.
— CrowdStrike 24Hours of Spa (@24HoursofSpa) July 1, 2023
We express our deepest condolences to his family, friends and MP Motorsport.
There was poor visibility on the track when van ‘t Hoff spun and was hit at a high speed by a car driven by Adam Fitzgerald while exiting the Eau-Rouge-Raidillon corner, The Guardian reported.
“We are devastated at the loss of one of our brightest Dutch talents, who brought so much energy to our team during the years he raced with us,” van ‘t Hoff’s team said in a statement. “Dilano has been a part of our racing family since his motorsport debut with MP back in 2021. We offer our sincere condolences to Dilano’s family and his loved ones, and are in full support of them and our team members who have lost not only a driver but a friend as well.”
Team statement
— MP Motorsport (@OfficialMPteam) July 1, 2023
Spa-Francorchamps, 1 July 2023
MP Motorsport is deeply saddened to confirm that our driver, Dilano van ’t Hoff has passed away as a result of a crash during the second race of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine at Spa Francorchamps. pic.twitter.com/IWvS0fY1bs
The crash happened four years after Anthoine Hubert was killed in a multiple-car crash in an F2 race on the same section of the track, The Guardian reported.
Aston Martin Formula One driver Lance Stroll called for safety improvements at the track, Reuters reported.
“It’s a tragic day for motorsport,” Stroll said after finishing fourth in a Formula One sprint race at Austria’s Red Bull Ring. “My thoughts are with him today. It breaks my heart what happened and I think Eau-Rouge at Spa needs some looking into because we’ve lost two drivers now in the span of four or five years.
“It’s a really dangerous corner and we say it every year and it’s not fair what happened today.”
Racing for you today. Rest in Peace Dilano Van ‘t Hoff ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RzDO22o6LO
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) July 1, 2023
“It’s a really dangerous corner and we say it every year and it’s not fair what happened today.”
Formula Two teams and drivers competing at the Austrian Grand Prix held a minute’s silence.
“Dilano died in pursuit of his dream to reach the pinnacle of motorsport. Along with the entire motorsport community, our thoughts are with his family and loved ones,” Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said in a statement.
Max Verstappen, a two-time Formula One champion from the Netherlands, said the wet conditions on the course should have been evaluated before the start of the race.
“Incredibly sad. I didn’t know him personally. Of course he was a Dutch racing driver, up-and-coming racing driver as well, who had the same dreams we had,” said Verstappen, who spoke at the Austrian Grand Prix. “We have to look into these kinds of situations. It’s easy to blame the track, but I think also looking at how wet it was.
“(There are) definitely things that we have to look at for the future, what we can do better to protect drivers.”
