Russell reveals F1 drivers rejected Eau Rouge safety changes

George Russell has revealed Formula 1 drivers decided against modifying the Eau Rouge-Raidillon sequence of corners at Belgian Grand Prix venue Spa-Francorchamps.

The safety of the two corners has been called into question ahead of the weekend with wet weather expected throughout the Sprint event, which will host two races

Visibility in wet conditions is poor for drivers, with Dutch driver Dilano van 't Hoff killed in a crash on the Kemmel Straight on July 1 in wet conditions in FRECA.

Anthoine Hubert was killed in an F2 accident in 2019 at the top of the hill after a chain-reaction accident, with the run-off and walls being modified on the left-hand side in time for last year.

Drivers reject Eau Rouge change

But when asked if actual changes to the track layout at the famous sequence were considered, Grand Prix Drivers' Association director Russell told media including RacingNews365: "We've spoken about it, and I think between everybody, we concluded that we don't think it needs changing.

"They've obviously made a lot of progress with the run-off, so that's probably the most important thing.

"At the moment, we are in constant communication with the FIA following the tragic death of Dilano.

"There are two questions: is Spa safe enough and the question of the conditions. The fact is motorsport will always be dangerous when you are travelling at these speeds.

"If you were to put a ranking of risk of all the circuits, for sure Spa is one of the riskier circuits along with Jeddah and Monaco and Suzuka to a degree.

"Then when you have the combination of the weather, it is very challenging - we just have no visibility whatsoever.

"The way I describe it to try and give some perspective is driving down the motorway in pouring rain and turning your windscreen wipers off. That's genuinely how it feels in the cockpit, so there are not any short-term solutions.

"I personally feel Spa is safe enough - but we just need to find a solution in the wet for the visibility."