Charles Leclerc on racing at Spa in rain: “We’re not exaggerating when we say we don’t see anything"

Charles Leclerc is adamant about the difficult weather conditions he and his fellow drivers faced in Spa during the Belgian Grand Prix. He urged the FIA not to take any complaints if the race has to be cancelled because of torrential weather conditions.

Leclerc gave context to the visibility level of the drivers during extreme rainy conditions on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. He mentioned that drivers 'do not exaggerate' when they say they had zero visibility. The Monegasque said, as quoted by Motorsportweek:

"Visibility is really difficult to put into words what we are saying, apart from saying we are seeing nothing. We're not exaggerating when we say we don’t see anything, we really don’t see anything when it’s raining."

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is home to the Belgian Grand Prix and is one of the few historical circuits that remain on the Formula 1 calendar. As much as it is loved, mostly because of the Eau Rouge corners (two uphill corners taken flat), it poses the threat of a fatal crash, especially during wet conditions.

The 2021 edition of the Grand Prix was cancelled after running just two laps behind the safety car, and it became the shortest-ever F1 Grand Prix. There is a chance that this year might see yet another wet race, but as Charles Leclerc urged, one should not complain if the race has to be cancelled.

Lando Norris had a devastating crash during one of the sessions in 2021 outside of Eau Rouge. Fortunately, he emerged out of it okay.

Leclerc added that lack of visibility during wet sessions is a major issue for any motorsport.

"This is a really big problem for Formula 1, for motorsport in general. Any single seaters, we have quite a bit of downforce and there is quite a lot of spray and then this causes quite a lot of incidents because we cannot react to what is in front," he said.

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Charles Leclerc proposes changes to be brought at Spa-Francorchamps

As mentioned earlier, the Eau Rouge corner is one of the most historical corners in Formula 1. However, it is equally dangerous even for a dry session.

Antoine Hubert, a young Formula 2 driver, lost his life during the 2019 edition of the F2 race at the venue. He was involved in a huge crash right outside of the corner.

Another young driver, Dilano van't Hoff, racing in the Formula Regional Cup, lost his life last month after a devastating crash outside of the same corner. This happened because of the same reason that Charles Leclerc mentioned: low visibility.

The iconic Eau Rouge at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

Charles Leclerc proposed a few changes that can be made on the circuit for the protection and safety of his fellow racing drivers and drew attention towards Eau Rouge.

"I think there are some changes that could make a difference. First of all, the walls on the straight after Eau Rouge, we should have a bit more space on the left and right," Charles Leclerc said during the aforementioned interview.

"If you lose control of the car, the way it is done at the moment you are bouncing on the walls and you have a very high chance of finding yourself in the way."

The Belgian Grand Prix has been deemed unsafe quite a few times. Formula 1 was set to race here only till 2022, but their contract was extended by a year. There has been no news on any further extensions and with the sport's eagerness to bring in new circuits, it's hard to say if it will happen at all.

Nevertheless, Charles Leclerc's recommendation could be worth a thought as the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most iconic tracks on the F1 calendar.