(Spa-Francorchamps) Dutch driver Dilano van’t Hoff died on track as part of a regional Formula European Championship event held in Belgium, organizers announced on Saturday.

The MP Motorsport driver, who was only 18, was taking part in a morning race on the legendary circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. This was presented before the 24 hours of Spa, later on Saturday.

The Regional Formula European Championship expressed its “deepest condolences to the family, loved ones and team” of van’t Hoff.

A minute of silence was also held before the start of the 24 Hours of Spa.

The International Automobile Federation, which oversees motorsport on the planet, also expressed its sadness.

French driver Anthoine Hubert died in similar circumstances at Spa-Francorchamps during a Formula 2 event held as part of the Belgian Grand Prix in 2019.

Double F1 world champion Max Verstappen, who is also Dutch, expressed his condolences and added that the track conditions should have been given more attention.

“It’s incredibly sad. I didn’t know him personally. Certainly, he was a Dutch driver, a promising driver moreover, who cherished the same dreams as us,” Verstappen said on the sidelines of the Austrian Formula Grand Prix.

“We need to focus more on this kind of situation. It’s easy to blame the track, but you also have to look at how wet the track was… There are obviously lessons to be learned for the future, to make sure we better protect the drivers. »

The words of the Red Bull driver were also echoed by those of Quebecer Lance Stroll, holder at Aston Martin.

“I really feel like we need to make some changes to make [the] Eau Rouge [turn] safer; we have just lost two promising young pilots [at this location] in just a few years, and we absolutely have to talk about it,” said the Mont-Tremblant pilot.

In addition, two years ago, six drivers in the Women’s W Series required treatment following a pile-up that occurred in the same location during a qualifying session.