Juan Manuel Correa is back on the right track: “I will bring Antoine close to my heart”

Two weeks after coma, lung damage, two vertebra fractures, about 20 leg and foot fractures, 25 limb operations, 18 months of treatment and rehabilitation, Juan Manuel Correa Get back on track. The 21-year-old American driver from Ecuador will be behind the wheel of the French team ART Grand Prize For the Formula 3 Championship 2021 after surviving the terrible accident in which 22-year-old Frenchman Antoin Hubert, who is also a friend of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, lost his life in Spa in 2019, in the F2 race, after his car collided at full speed by Korea,

“I will keep Hubert very close to my heart.”

Announcing my return to the track is one of the moments that makes me so proud of my career that I had to work hard and sacrifice a lot to achieve it, “Correa explains. I would like to thank the motorsports community and fans for their unconditional support. I have no words to thank the ART Grand Prix for believing in me and being part of my story. I would also like to take this opportunity to honor Antoine’s memory, as I will keep him very close to my heart in every race and try to carry his legacy in the best possible way. ”

Dream Formula 1

A heroic comeback, even if it was just the beginning for Juan Manuel: “F3 is my year of transition, and my dream is still to reach Formula 1 and this is the first step towards my comeback. My goals are a little ahead of me, because I still have a lot to do, I haven’t driven a car in a year Half and there is a big learning curve waiting for us. I will enter this season with an open mind, and I will not pressure myself, I will do better, I will do what I love and this is a victory indeed. “

Return after 25 interventions

enormous. Juan Manuel has been a fan of speed throughout his life, starting at a very young age with karting in Ecuador and the US and then progressing to higher classes like Formula 4 and GP3 Series. The big leap in 2019 when he reached Formula 2 with Sauber Junior at just 19 years old. Two platforms in his first season. Then, on August 31, 2019, during the F2 Tour at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps, Correa faces the biggest challenge of his life. She survives death and endures the death of his colleague, Hubert, who is unsuccessful. After undergoing 25 surgeries on both legs and speculating that his right leg could be amputated as well, the prospects are not encouraging: It may take at least two and a half years to recover enough to start thinking about running. With perseverance, he devoted himself to rehab, which greatly reduced expectations of recovery time. So fast, it’s already on the right track.