F1 News
Tyre barriers at Spa-Francorchamps modified due to Hubert accident
- GPblog.com
The Grand Prix of Belgium last year was not a happy weekend. This race will always be dominated by the fatal accident during the main race of Formula 2. Anthoine Hubert died after being torpedoed at the top of the Eua Rouge, also known as Raidillon, by the car of Juan Manuel Correa, who suffered severe leg injuries as a result.
The accident occurred when Giuliano Alesi spun in the Eau Rouge and Hubert had to make an evasive manoeuvre. This didn't quite work out and he got into the stacks of tires at high speed and was then catapulted towards the track. There he remained on the track of the approaching Correa, which was unable to move.
Two rows of tires isn't enough at that point
After months of research, the FIA concluded that this could happen because the row of tires at the point where Hubert hit it was not wide enough. Virtually all along the Eau Rouge, the tire stacks were four rows thick, but at the point where the original pit lane enters the track, it was only two rows thick.
As a result, this tire stack was not able to draw all the energy from Hubert's crash. To avoid a similar accident in the future, the tire stack at this point will also be four rows thick as of next weekend, RaceFans.net reports.