Juan Manuel Correa has returned to Spa looking to “close a chapter” and pay tribute to Anthoine Hubert one year after the crash that killed him.
The Ecuadorian-American sustained severe leg injuries and was placed into a coma after a respiratory failure in the days following the accident, which saw his car smashed into the Frenchman’s stationary vehicle at the top of Eau Rouge.
Since then, Correa has been slowly recovering at home in Florida but recently returned to Europe, and this weekend he is back in Belgium as he reflects on what took place 12 months ago.
“It’s one year since the crash happened,” he said in a Formula 2 Instagram live on Thursday.
“I felt there was a way for me to kind of close a chapter, but more importantly to pay my tribute to Anthoine, I haven’t been able to do so properly from Miami.
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“I just felt like coming out this weekend, I got the invitation from F2 and I took it in a heartbeat.
“I’m really happy to be here, happy to see everyone in the paddock again, but it will also be a very sad and emotional weekend for me.”
Earlier in the day, Correa was seen back at the crash site, where he took a moment to pay respects to Hubert, who will be remembered with a minute’s silence ahead of the F2 and F1 races this weekend.
As for his own recovery though, for now, the 21-year-old remains largely confined to a wheelchair but soon he hopes to be back on his feet and back behind the wheel.
“It’s going quite well, I’ve been recovering quite quickly,” he explained.
“I’ve been pushing a lot with that racer mindset of always doing more than necessary. It’s worked out well.
“I’m actually looking for a comeback next year, so [it is] earlier than we thought initially, but it’s looking good.
“I have still quite a few surgeries left to go but the whole metal thing around my leg should be gone at the end of this year which means I can jump in a car maybe as early as December.”