Remembering racing driver Anthoine Hubert

Anthoine Hubert

Remembering racing driver Anthoine Hubert

Remembering Anthoine Hubert on the anniversary of his tragic passing

Yara Elshebiny

Saturday 31 August 2024 21:00

This article commemorates the life and legacy of Anthoine Hubert, a promising racing driver who tragically lost his life in 2019.

Five years have passed since the devastating Formula 2 accident at Spa-Francorchamps that claimed the life of the young driver.

The motorsport world was left in shock by the untimely demise of the then-22-year-old, who had quickly established himself as one of the most promising talents in the sport.

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As we approach the anniversary of his passing, GPFans reflects on his career and the lasting impact he left behind.

The journey of Anthoine Hubert

His natural talent quickly propelled him through the ranks, with notable achievements including third-place finishes in the CIK-FIA World Championship in 2011 and 2012.

In 2013, Hubert switched to single-seater racing and made an immediate impact, winning over half of the races on his way to securing the French Formula 4 Championship in his debut season.

He spent the following two years competing in Formula Renault 2.0 with Tech 1 Racing, achieving victories in both the Eurocup and ALPS series in 2015. However, he was unable to challenge for the championship title in either series.

In 2016, the Frenchman stepped up to the Formula 3 Championship, driving for Van Amersfoort Racing. He managed to secure pole position and a win in the second race at the Norisring and eventually ranked eighth overall in the standings.

In 2017, he joined ART Grand Prix for the GP3 series, where he would claim fourth in the championship. A year later, he won the GP3 title, becoming the last champion before the series merged with the European F3 series.

Although he achieved fewer victories than his team-mate Nikita Mazepin, his consistent performance, highlighted by 11 podium finishes, earned him the title.

In 2019, Hubert stepped up to Formula 2, where he scored two back-to-back pole-to-chequered flag victories in the sprint races in Monte Carlo and Paul Ricard driving for BWT Arden.

On August 31 of that year, Hubert was competing in the feature race at Spa-Francorchamps when a devastating crash occurred.

During the second lap, Giuliano Alesi's car crashed at the Radillon curve due to a punctured tyre. The cars behind Alesi braked to avoid the incident, but Hubert couldn't see the slowing vehicles.

The Frenchman went off the track at around 150mph, colliding with the barriers before being hit by Juan Manuel Correa, who lost control of his car after hitting debris from Alesi's car.

The impact caused significant damage to both cars and Hubert was immediately taken to the circuit's medical centre, where he was tragically pronounced dead.

Forever remembered

On F1 race day, just one day after his childhood friend's tragic death, Pierre Gasly described the Belgian GP as "the most emotional race I ever had."

"I’ve grown up with this guy since I was seven in karting," he said. "We have been roommates, we’ve lived in the same apartment for six years. We’ve been classmates, I have studied since I was 13 until 19 with him the same professor in a private school.

“I feel shocked, I did not realise how it can go so fast. It’s just terrible."

The night before the race, Gasly asked Charles Leclerc to win for Hubert, who had started racing in the same year as them.

Starting from the pole, the Monegasque defeated Lewis Hamilton to claim his first win of his career, which he dedicated to Hubert.

"This one is for Anthoine," Leclerc said over the team radio after crossing the finish line. "Feels good, but difficult to enjoy on a weekend like this."

Each year at the Belgian GP, Gasly visits the site of the accident at Spa-Francorchamps, where he lays flowers at the corner where Hubert crashed.

To keep his memory alive, he also organises an annual run called "Run for Anthoine" around the Eau Rouge which is attended by many drivers and paddock members from F1, F2, and F3.

In a tribute video recently posted by Alpine, Gasly credited Hubert for his success in F1, saying, "The man I am now is also thanks to him. And what I do in motorsport, what I am in my life, it's thanks to him."

Following Hubert's passing, Formula 2 established the Anthoine Hubert Award to honour the highest-placed rookie driver of the season, and the series also retired the number 19 on his death anniversary in 2020.

Formula 2 Spa-Francorchamps Nikita Mazepin