1996 F1 Champion Damon Hill has said he is worried about Max Verstappen and Sir Lewis Hamilton having another high-speed crash in the upcoming Belgian GP.
The Championship rivals collided on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix, and Verstappen came off much worse than Hamilton, with him suffering a high-impact collision into the barriers.
Hill has warned that Spa-Francorchamps is a “whole other level of risk” to Silverstone and he called on race director Michael Masi to urge the drivers to do their best to avoid any “nasty episodes.”
“It’s another fast circuit like Silverstone,” Hill said on the F1 Nation podcast.
“They’ve already shown they’re not afraid to tangle at high speed, but Spa’s a whole other level of risk. It is a concern.
“I think if I was Michael Masi, and I’d be in the drivers’ briefing for the weekend, I would be saying, ‘Listen guys, respect this place. It’s one of the fastest tracks we go to, we do not want to have any nasty episodes’.
“Of course, we have had some nasty episodes not so long ago, in the F2 races. There is an extra risk, especially if it’s wet. They’ve had plenty of issues recently with the rain, but wet races at Spa are not for the faint-hearted.”
Asked by podcast host Tom Clarkson how Red Bull team principal Christian Horner will influence Verstappen’s approach to the weekend, Hill said: “If you’re Christian Horner, I think you need to sit down with Max Verstappen and say, ‘We really need a clean weekend.’
“Because he’s been involved in Lap 1 crashes at the last two races.
“He’s lost a massive chunk of points, and second place at Spa behind Lewis Hamilton is a great result.”
Verstappen currently trails Hamilton by eight points in the Drivers’ Standings and he will be looking to get his season back on track at Spa.