Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly return to Spa with mixed feelings a year on from the death of Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert.
The Frenchman was killed as his car was smashed into at high speed at the top of Eau Rouge/Raidillon, moments after he had gone off at the iconic corner.
Juan Manuel Correa, the other driver involved, is continuing his slow recovery from the accident in the United States after narrowly surviving, albeit sustaining severe leg injuries.
But it is Hubert who will be in the minds of all drivers this weekend, and in particular Leclerc and Gasly, who were closest to him.
“The Spa-Francorchamps circuit has a special place in my heart,” the Ferrari driver said.
“While it is here that I took my first win, it is also where we lost our friend Anthoine last year. It will be difficult to return to this track and he will be in our thoughts all weekend.”
Gasly added: “Returning to Belgium will also be a sad moment, because it is just one year ago that Anthoine lost his life after that terrible accident in the F2 race in Spa.
“I had known him since I was seven years old in karting, we were in the same school together organised by the French motorsport federation, from when I was 13 to 19 and we shared an apartment for six years.
“I think everyone in the paddock will take time to think of him.”
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- Gasly urged Leclerc to win for Hubert as pair reflect on friendship
As the Monegasque noted, on the Sunday he paid tribute to the F2 driver in the best possible way by claiming victory.
However, with Ferrari much more down on power compared to 12 months ago, his hopes this year lie on whether the forecast of rain proves accurate.
“In terms of expectations, it will be tougher for us in terms of performance this time around as we do not have the same level of competitiveness as we did in 2019,” said Charles. “However, we have seen that anything can happen at this track, especially with the unpredictable weather.
“As a team, we will have to work very hard to do all we can to get the most out of the car right from Friday. In free practice, we must gather all the information needed to pick the best strategy for qualifying and especially for the race.”
