Formula 2 driver Juan Manuel Correa has emotionally opened up on the lack of support he received from the FIA following his terrifying crash with Anthoine Hubert in 2019 at Spa-Francorchamps, which left him in a life-threatening condition whilst Hubert lost his life.
The saddening death of Hubert will forever live in the memories of thousands of people across the world, but none more so than Correa’s, with the Ecuadorian having been the person who collided with the Frenchman’s stricken car.
Hubert crashed into a tyre barrier at the top of Eau Rouge after dodging Giuliano Alesi, who lost control of his car.
Hubert was then spat out back onto the circuit after bouncing off the tyre wall, with Correa having been unsighted as he ploughed straight into him.
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The crash broke both of Correa’s legs and put a huge question mark on whether he’d ever return to racing, something he successfully did despite the unfavourable odds.
Correa returned to racing in Formula 3 and spent 2021 and 2022 competing in the junior series; however, he has returned to F2 this year with Van Amersfoort Racing.
At the season-opener in Bahrain last weekend Correa performed valiantly, with the Ecuadorian having finished 10th in the sprint race and in the feature race.
His return to F2 is certainly emotional, given what happened in 2019; however, it’s all been made possible thanks support from those close to him.
Correa, though, had nothing nice to say about the governing body, who the FIA having done nothing for the driver, making him feel “used” and “all alone”.
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Correa’s comments were revealed in a trailer for an upcoming episode of the Track Limits podcast, which the F2 driver is a guest on.
“To be honest, Formula 1 and the FIA did nothing to help me after the accident. I was all alone,” Correa told the Track Limits podcast.
“I had my family, my friends and a small group of people around me, but there was no support for me at all from the FIA. I felt used.
“You give them a good show and they benefit from it, but you get nothing back from them.”