Théo Pourchaire mentions the safety of the Spa circuit: “We try not to think about it.”
Safety at the Spa circuit is the most important issue during race weekends. The F2 driver knows that the FIA and competent individuals are working to ensure the safety of the drivers.
The Belgian Grand Prix will be the 10th round of the F2 championship. Théo Pourchaire, the current second in the championship, is ready to race on a very dangerous circuit. This weekend, the race conditions will be cool and likely wet, a climate that the Frenchman enjoys.
« Honestly, I quite like it when it’s a bit cooler. It’s going to rain now, which is an additional factor to take into account. Personally, I enjoy the rain, I like Spa in the rain, I’ve always felt comfortable on this circuit in the rain. However, I think it might be dry on Sunday with cooler temperatures, so that’s positive. In any case, we’ll adapt to any conditions, whether it’s in terms of race setup or driving style »,” said the 19-year-old driver to MotorsInside.
The Art Grand Prix driver is used to driving at high speed: “I’m used to driving at 300 km/h in Jeddah, so driving at 250 in Spa is just a normal day for me.” Despite this habit, the Frenchman acknowledges the dangerousness of the circuit, especially its most famous turn, the Raidillon. “It’s unfortunate what happened in 2019 (the death of Antoine Hubert) or this year (the death of Dilano van’t Hoff). After all, it’s a circuit, or rather a specific part of the circuit that may be a bit dangerous. We have an international federation (FIA) looking into it, which has already done so to try and improve,” lamented the F2 vice-champion.
The Belgian circuit had already made improvements to make this iconic turn in motorsport safer, unfortunately they were insufficient. « The organizers of the GP and the circuit boss will also look into it. Formula 1 drivers who have a significant voice will try to improve it. Afterwards, we try not to think about it, it’s just a circuit like any other, you just have to drive and not think about this kind of thing », continued the Frenchman.
The driver remains confident that safety will be ensured by the FIA, but remains realistic about the dangers of motorsport.
« There are many circuits where there are dangerous areas, and unfortunately, that is part of motor racing. We know that there will never be zero risk, if we can improve, all the better. But personally, I don’t know what to improve in this turn. It is up to the FIA and competent individuals to determine what to do. There are Formula 1 drivers who drive cars faster than us, who will help the FIA with that », concluded the Sauber Academy driver.
