F1 Community Including Leclerc, Gasly & Ocon Pay Their Respects to Anthoine Hubert at Spa

Two years ago, on the very same circuit where the F1 cars are set to go racing again this weekend, witnessed a tragic accident, which ended up taking away the life of late Frenchman, Anthoine Hubert.

Hence, tributes poured in from several F1 teams and drivers, including Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly ahead of the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

How F1 teams and drivers paid their respects to Hubert

Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc were some of the closest friends to Hubert. Hence, the tragedy was undeniably a tough pill to swallow for both the drivers.

Ahead of the track walk on Thursday, Leclerc cycled all the way to the Raidillon corner to lay flowers under the barrier where the crash took place. Eventually, Gasly, too, laid a bouquet near the barrier.

Soon after paying the tribute, Leclerc took to social media to present his update ahead of the race weekend. He wrote, “Always have so many emotions when I come back to Spa. A place where I got my first win in F1 but also where I lost a good friend. Thinking about you Anthoine.”

Meanwhile, the French lad, racing for AlphaTauri, wrote, “For you my friend. Missing you. #AH19.”

Several other drivers like Lando Norris, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, and Esteban Ocon shared Formula 1’s tribute post on their respective Instagram stories.

Alpine Racing team, being a French outfit, paid their respects to the Frenchman through Instagram. They wrote, “Racing for you, racing with you, always.”

What happened to Hubert and Correa during the 2019 race?

Two laps into the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix in F2, there was a massive pile-up around the Raidillon corner involving several drivers, including the victim, Hubert, himself, and Juan Manuel Correa.

The initial collision was pretty much keeping Hubert safe. But, it was Correa’s hit that worsened the situation. Correa’s car collided with that of Hubert’s at around 250 km/hr.

And the crash ended up exposing the front of his car, which led to massive injuries to his leg. Meanwhile, for Hubert, the impact took place on the side, which ended up tearing his car apart. Soon, the stewards red-flagged the session, as the medical team arrived and escorted the duo to the medical center.

Despite desperate efforts, Hubert died of grievous injuries, hardly over an hour after the crash. Meanwhile, Correa suffered injuries to his spine and leg and had to go through a major surgery, where the medical team restructured his left leg entirely.

Days after surgery, Correa fell into acute respiratory failure, leaving him critical, but thankfully, stable. Hence, the doctors kept the American under a medically induced coma for a while. Nevertheless, Correa fought back through the hardships and is now competing in Formula 3 for ART Grand Prix.

Watch Story: Biggest Crashes From 2020 Featuring Leclerc, Vettel & Grosjean