GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | FIA could ban DRS use at Eau Rouge during Belgian GP weekend amid safety concerns

FIA could ban DRS use at Eau Rouge during Belgian GP weekend amid safety concerns

By Jonathan Noble

Monday, August 22nd 2011, 11:28 GMT

The FIA is weighing up whether or not to ban the use of DRS through Eau Rouge at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, on the back of safety concerns voiced by drivers.

In the wake of the restrictions imposed through the Monaco tunnel earlier this year, the famous Eau Rouge sequence at Spa-Francorchamps has been singled out as another area of worry by some drivers.

It is feared that there could be an increased risk of accidents if drivers are tempted to take the 180mph turn with DRS fully open in practice or qualifying - when DRS use is totally free.

AUTOSPORT understands that the Grand Prix Drivers' Association has already voiced its concerns about the matter, with the situation almost certain to be discussed ahead of the Belgian GP weekend.

Although the FIA has acknowledged that the Eau Rouge issue does need looking it - and reacted to similar worries voiced by drivers about the Monaco tunnel by banning its use there - high level sources at motorsport's governing body have said that no final decision has been made about whether a restriction will be imposed this time out.

Despite the safety issues at Eau Rouge, HRT's Vitantonio Liuzzi believes that the situation is not as critical as it was in the Monaco tunnel.

"For us it will be on the edge with the DRS, but the tunnel situation was a bit different," he told AUTOSPORT. "The reason I was asking to ban it there was because of a crash, wheel-to-wheel in the tunnel, which could be a really critical situation.

"In Eau Rouge it is different. It is open air there, there is no roof, with no pylons – so it could be a normal racing accident as at any normal place. It is an easier decision for the FIA, because Monaco was a bit more risky. But I will take it as it comes, I like a challenge."

The issue of DRS at Eau Rouge will not matter for the race; the FIA confirming that the single DRS zone at Spa will be located from the exit of Raidillon and will run until the Les Combes chicane.

Credit: AUTOSPORT.COM (www.autosport.com)