Spa-Francorchamps has been criticised for the Eau Rouge corner, placed at the kink of the Kemmel straight, in particular.

Some F1 drivers have demanded changes to this corner, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll saying that it is “way too dangerous,” and “needs changing.”

However, Verstappen pointed out the crash happened beyond this turn.

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The Dutchman stated: “For sure, in Eau Rouge, going up it is blind, but of course, this accident now happened later [along the track].”

He also says the Eau Rouge corner is safer than parts of other, newer circuits such as the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Verstappen remarked: “It’s, for sure, quite a dangerous corner but we also go to Jeddah, and sector one at that, for me, is probably more dangerous, even.”

The Red Bull driver continued: “I’m happy that nothing has happened yet in that sector because going through (turns) six, seven, eight if you have a shunt there that can be the same – it’s all blind, you don’t know what’s coming.”

The issue of “blindness” in tight corners is one of the most dangerous issues facing F1 drivers.

Footage shows that Hoff’s crash occurred in very wet conditions, with the Dutchman striking a barrier and bouncing into the path of oncoming driver, Adam Fitzgerald, who was unsighted in the spray.

For some, this suggests weather conditions were a larger factor in the accident than the track.

Verstappen commented: “With that scenario, where there is almost no visibility, a lot of water, that is a big issue. I think.”

“In the dry, normally, it’s a bit better. You see, of course, more of what is going on in front of you.”

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Verstappen acknowledged changes could be made to the Spa-Francorchamps track for increased safety.

He said: “I think the only thing that maybe can be improved there is to make more space in terms of trying to move the barriers more out.”

“At the moment, it looks like as soon as you crash, you hit the barrier, you bounce back onto the track quite easily.”

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2023 teased similar fortunes as the returning Nico Hulkenberg made it all the way to Q3 on his Haas debut, dramatically knocking out McLaren’s Lando Norris along the way.

The race did not pan out how the team would have hoped however as early front wing damage for Hulkenburg forced the German to pit for repairs and eventually finish in fifteenth.

Kevin Magnussen finished in thirteenth to round of a fairly miserable start to the season for Haas but the VF-23 is clearly a car capable of battling in the midfield.

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Realising the potential of the VF-23, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has reflected on the Bahrain Grand Prix, hoping that his team can use what they learned to score a reasonable haul of points in Jeddah this weekend.

“It was quite challenging because we had pre-season testing and then there was very little time before the race,” he said.

“All in all, even if we had struggles in the race, qualifying was good. We got one car into Q3 and for Nico to come back after three years of not having a full-time drive, it was a very good result for the team. We could’ve done better than a tenth, but we were happy with it.

“In the race it didn’t start too well, for Nico it wasn’t an ideal start knocking off the front wing endplate and Kevin was the only one of the hard tyre to start which put him in difficulties. 

“All in all though, I think the performance is there in the VF-23, we just need to get it permanently at all the races, so I’m really looking forward to those races.

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“Jeddah is a little bit different in terms of layout compared to Bahrain buy everything that we learned in Bahrain will help us set up the car better for Saudi Arabia. Hopefully we get it in a good window and then we can extract the full potential of the VF-23, resulting in points.”

Having sacrificed so much in 2021 to focus on preparing for the new regulations, Haas will be pleased to see their decision paying off.

The American team are clearly capable of scoring points on a regular basis and will now begin to build to hopefully becoming sporadic podium contenders once again.

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The controversy and outcry against the race in Saudi Arabi reached its peak earlier this season when the sky was filled with smoke on the race weekend following a missile attack on an oil facility a mere seven miles away from the racetrack.

Although the drivers did have a meeting to discuss whether the event should go ahead, the weekend did continue as planned with Lewis Hamilton being very outspoken about his thoughts on the Jeddah Grand Prix.

After completing this year’s race, the seven-time world champion was quoted as saying, “I’m so happy the weekend is done and I’m happy that everyone is safe.

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“I’m just looking forward to getting out,” he concluded.

Despite one of the biggest names in the history of the sport speaking against the Grand Prix, it now seems a possibility that not only will Saudi Arabia continue to have a Grand Prix on the calendar, it might get a second.

“We really see the benefits of having these event for the Kingdom,” said the country’s sport minister, Bin Turki Al-Faisal.

“And that’s why we’re investing so much.”

Jeddah was always seen as a temporary race on a calendar until the state of the art Qiddiya project is completed in the next couple of years. However, Al-Faisal says it would be difficult to say no to both races being on the calendar.

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“We definitely could host two races already for that. But I think that’s something we have to discuss with F1 and see how it goes. But we definitely would love to have that.”

With races in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain being held in recent years, it seems inevitable that Middle Eastern races are here to stay despite the obvious negative opinions of some of those involved in the sport.

The safety of those involved in F1 remains the priority and hopefully the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix can prosper in the years to come and become one of the many iconic tracks we all look on so fondly.

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Currently in a 10-year deal that runs until 2030, the current plan is that Jeddah will only be the temporary home of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix despite the drama and excitement that it has given us on the racetrack over the past two seasons.

Those in charge plan to move the Grand Prix to Qaddiya, where a new state of the art race facility is being constructed. However it’s thought that the track will not be completed until 2024 at the earliest.

“It [Qaddiya] will be an iconic place to have an F1 race, with a theme part that’s next to it,” said Prince Abdulaziz.

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“We think it’s a good transition [from Jeddah], because it’s a totally different environment. So you won’t have two races that are the same in one region: in Jeddah, it’s by the sea. But when you go to the other, it is the desert, it’s more of a different vibe to it.”

For 2023 at least the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is expected to still be in Jeddah, however, Price Abdulaziz sees no reason why the country couldn’t end up hosting two races each year, especially with two modern tracks ready to host.

“We won’t say no,” Abdulaziz said.

“We really see the benefits of having of having these events for the Kingdom, and that’s why we’re investing so much.

“We definitely could host two races already for that. But I think that’s something we have to discuss with F1 and see how it goes. But we definitely would love to have that.” he continued.

If having two races on the calendar is not possible, the sports minister is open to alternating between Qaddiya and Jeddah.

“That’s happened in Germany, between Nurburgring and Hockenheim,” he argued. “So that could be an option.”

Despite concerns about the safety of hosting an event in Saudi Arabi, Prince Abdulaziz believes that the issues such as the nearby missile strike this year are a thing of the past.

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“Most of the concerns were about the security really,” he told Reuters. 

“We met personally with all the team principals and I met personally with all the drivers.

“We spoke about all of these issues and we had an open dialogue with them now.”

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