After finishing in fourth place in Saturday's sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix, Lance Stroll's mind was elsewhere.
The motorsports world was stunned earlier on Saturday by the horrifying news that a multi-car crash at a Formula Regional race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium had led to the death of 18-year-old Dutch driver Dilano van 't Hoff.
Van 't Hoff spun after a restart late in the race in heavy rain. The Dutch driver was left stranded in the middle of the track and, with visibility poor, was struck by another car.
Dilano van 't Hoff won the F4 Spanish Championship in 2021, and took a podium in Barcelona during last year's Formula Regional European Championship.
There was a minute's silence ahead of the Formula 2 race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on Saturday afternoon, and tributes poured in from across the world of motorsport, including from van 't Hoff's countryman Max Verstappen.
After the Formula 1 sprint race at the Red Bull Ring, Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll was asked about his strong performance in the race, but chose instead to launch an impassioned plea for improved safety at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in light of the tragic news.
Lance Stroll calls for change after tragic loss of teenage Dutch driver
Lance Stroll finished fourth in the Austrian Grand Prix sprint after impressively holding off teammate Fernando Alonso under sustained pressure in the closing laps.
When asked about his performance, however, Stroll chose to focus on the sombre events elsewhere, and paid tribute to 18-year-old Dilano van 't Hoff.
An open and passionate post-sprint interview from Lance Stroll on the sad news of the passing of Dilano van 't Hoff in Spa-Francorchamps. pic.twitter.com/V1I9lB1ItD
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 1, 2023
A visibly shaken Stroll was emotional as he called for changes to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Eau Rouge, the corner preceding the straight where van 't Hoff's accident occurred, has long held a reputation for being among the most fearsome corners in racing, but it has bitten back with several terrifying high-speed accidents in recent years.
F1 drivers Kevin Magnussen and Lando Norris have had enormous crashes at the corner during the past decade. F2 driver Anthoine Hubert was killed in an accident at the corner in 2019.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Lance Stroll said that Eau Rouge "has to change," and that more needs to be done to protect drivers on the famous circuit:
A quick word for Dilano at Spa. It's a tragic day for motorsport, we lost a driver today. I want everyone to think about that. My thoughts are with him today.
It breaks my heart, what happened. Eau Rouge at Spa needs some looking into, because we've lost two drivers now in the span or four or five years. It's a really dangerous corner, we say it every year. It's not fair what happened today.
I think that corner has to change, it's way too dangerous. I think every time we go through there there's an accident waiting to happen. Today it happened again, and we lost a young kid. It's not fair.
We have to talk about it. Like I said, two drivers in four or five years. That corner needs some changing. I just wanted to say that out loud before getting into my race. It's been in the back of my mind all day. It's a sad day for racing.
Lance Stroll's comments will resonate with fans after the tragic loss of such a young and bright talent in Dilano van 't Hoff.
His remarks were echoed by teammate Fernando Alonso, who said that safety needs to be given more attention in wet weather conditions.
The death of Dilano van 't Hoff has shaken motorsports fans, and one can only hope that investigations will lead to an improvement in safety.
RIP.
