F2 Racing Spa

'F2 Belgian Grand Prix: Feature race cancelled after horrific crash at Spa-Francochamps' The Independent 0:38 'Family wins £37m in one of the largest maternity negligence claims in NHS history'. F2 driver Anthoine Hubert has been killed in a horrendous crash at the Belgian Grand Prix. The 22-year-old Frenchman died as a result of his injuries following a sickening 150mph collision at the.

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MEDIA RELEASE/FIA Formula 2 – Photo: FIA F2 website

The FIA Formula 2 Championship returns to Spa-Francorchamps refreshed and raring to go as the paddock returns to action for Round 9 following the summer break.

It’s hard to believe it’s been four weeks since the excitement of Budapest, where championship leader Nyck de Vries had looked set to dominate the weekend after going quickest in practice before delivering a masterclass of wet weather driving to stick his ART Grand Prix machine on pole during a rainy qualifying session. Title rival Nicholas Latifi was not prepared to settle for that in the Feature Race however, firing past De Vries through Turn 1 following a brilliant start and producing a measured drive to bag his first victory since Round 3. Reverse pole in the Sprint Race saw Mick Schumacher start from first, and the 20-year-old kept Nobuharu Matsushita at bay from lights to flag for his maiden F2 victory and a first podium finish for PREMA Racing this season.

De Vries (196 points) has seen his lead in the Drivers’ Championship cut slightly to 30 points over Latifi (166) in second place. Sérgio Sette Câmara (141) has reclaimed third place from Luca Ghiotto (135), with Jack Aitken (134) just one point behind in fifth. DAMS (307) top the Teams’ Championship, extending their lead over UNI-Virtuosi Racing (242) to 65 points. ART are 40 points further back in third, with Campos Racing (164) and Carlin (145) completing the top five.

Belgium’s Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps welcomes Round 9 of the championship, a favourite track of many drivers and fans alike. Pirelli’s medium and soft compound tyres are in use over the weekend, at a circuit known for its fast, challenging corners, and its often tricky conditions. Spa has seen plenty of dramatic action over the years, and the return of F2 promises even more!

Warm Up // Mick Schumacher – PREMA Racing

“I’m really looking forward to visiting Spa-Francorchamps. Having driven there a few times, including in a very special car in 2017, it’s a place where my family and I share a lot of emotion, and I’m thrilled and really happy to go back there.

“When I race I am really focused on what I am doing, but the lap I did with the ’94 Benetton was something very special. Seeing so many fans, you could feel the vibe and the people were enjoying what they were seeing. That was something I think only Spa can really give you. That emotion, that history. It’s one of the places where the driver can really transmit the feeling they have in the car to the crowd. It’s something very special.

“There’s a lot of elevation changes and you have a mix of corners. One of the trickiest corners is the double left at Pouhon. You arrive with a lot of speed, then the double-hander is very hard on the tyres, front and rear, so it’s going to be pretty challenging. It’s nearly flat-out, so if you manage to do it flat that’s pretty good!

“I’m curious to see how tyre degradation is going to play a part; how much we have to save tyres and whether it will be difficult to keep the tyres alive, but I think for me in my rookie year that’s been the same at every track up to now. I’m very interested in seeing how the tyres are handling and developing through a race. Spa is also one of those tracks where it rains most often, so that’s another factor we might need to consider. We just need some luck on our side and then maybe things go the right way.”

Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of F1 and Car Racing

“Spa is an epic circuit that always provides a massive thrill for the drivers as well as a big test for the tyres, due to the multiple forces acting on them. Overtaking is definitely possible, so we’re looking forward to some very close racing and exciting battles in Formula 2, as has already been the case very often this year. But Spa is a circuit that punishes mistakes harshly as well, so the safety car could be a factor influencing strategy too – not to mention the famously variable Belgian weather.”

Season Stats

30The points gap at the top of the standings between Drivers’ Championship leader Nyck de Vries (196 points) and second-placed Nicholas Latifi (166).

9Latifi is on the longest current run of point-scoring races, having scored points in every race since Monaco’s Sprint Race.

7De Vries has secured at least one podium finish in seven out of the first eight rounds of the season, only missing out in Bahrain’s opening round.

4Carlin’s Nobuharu Matsushita has more Fastest Laps than any other driver this season. De Vries and Sérgio Sette Câmara both have three.

Noteworthy

The F2 race lap record at Spa is 1:59.965, set by Jordan King with MP Motorsport in 2017.

If Nyck De Vries wins this weekend in Belgium he will match Artem Markelov for the record highest number of wins in the modern era of FIA Formula 2. A win in both races would see the Dutchman surpass the Russian. Nicholas Latifi would need two wins to match Markelov’s win record, courtesy of the Canadian’s win last time out in Hungary.

De Vries took his first pole position in Spa-Francorchamps last season. Sette Câmara also took his first F2 win here in 2017, winning the Sprint Race with MP Motorsport.

F2 Racing Spark Plugs

Only three drivers on the current grid have won at Spa before. Incidentally, all three of them are currently the top three in the championship standings (De Vries, Latifi and Sette Câmara).

Mick Schumacher became the 18th different winner in the modern era of FIA Formula 2 after his Sprint Race win in Hungary.

Japanese driver Marino Sato will replace Arjun Maini at Campos Racing in Spa. The 20-year-old tested for BWT Arden and Campos in 2018, and currently leads the Euroformula Open Championship.

DAMS (307 points) have a 65 point lead at the top of the Teams’ Championship, ahead of UNI-Virtuosi Racing (242).

Leading rookie Guanyu Zhou’s P9 finish in the Sprint Race in Hungary brought an 11-race point scoring streak to an end. That run included four third-place finishes.

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French driver Anthoine Hubert has been killed in an accident during the Formula Two feature race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

Hubert, 22, lost control of his car on the second lap of the race at the top of the Raidillon corner, which follows the famous Eau Rouge section of the Belgian race track. Raidillon is a blind corner at the crest of a hill. After an initial impact with the barriers, Hubert's car came back onto the race track and was hit at upwards of 200 km/h by American driver Juan Manuel Correa. Hubert's car was split in two pieces by the crash.

A third driver, Giuliano Alesi, was involved but was unharmed after his car came to a halt without a rear wing and a punctured rear tyre.

TV cameras quickly cut away from the scene, and no replays were shown. The race was immediately red flagged, and once the other cars had returned to the pits, it was soon confirmed it would not restart.

F2 is the official feeder series to Formula One and the race was taking place shortly after qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday. The F2 sprint race scheduled to take place on Sunday morning has been cancelled.

Just before 7 p.m. local time, the FIA confirmed Hubert had succumbed to his injuries. Correa is in stable condition in CHU Liège hospital. On Sunday morning it was confirmed he had undergone surgery on two fractured legs and a minor spinal injury.

'The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regrets to advise that a serious incident involving cars #12, #19 and #20 occurred at 17:07 on 31/08/19 as a part of the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps, round 17 of the season.

'The scene was immediately attended by emergency and medical crews, and all drivers were taken to the medical centre.

'As a result of the incident, the FIA regrets to inform that the driver of car #19, Antoine Hubert (FRA), succumbed to his injuries, and passed away at 18:35.

'The driver of car #12, Juan-Manuel Correa (USA), is in a stable condition and is being treated at the CHU Liège hospital. More information on his condition will be provided when it becomes available.

'The driver of car #20 Giuliano Alesi (FRA) was checked and declared fit at the medical centre.

'The FIA is providing support to the event organisers and the relevant authorities, and has commenced an investigation into the incident.'

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton posted his condolences to Instagram shortly after the news was confirmed.

'This is devastating. God rest your soul Anthoine. My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family today.'

In a follow-up post, he said: 'If a single one of you watching and enjoying this sport think for a second what we do is safe your hugely mistaken. All these drivers put their life on the line when they hit the track and people need to appreciate that in a serious way because it is not appreciated enough. Not from the fans nor some of the people actually working in the sport.

'Anthoine is a Hero as far as I'm concerned, for taking the risk he did to chase his dreams. I'm so sad that this has happened. Let's lift him up and remember him. Rest in peace brother.'

Hubert, the reigning GP3 champion, was part of the Renault F1 team's junior driver academy.

Born in Lyon, France, he started karting at age 12. Once he made his debut in single-seater racing in the French F4 championship in 2013, he rose through the ranks quickly. He won the French F4 series at the first attempt, before spending two seasons in Formula Renault 2.0. He stepped up to Formula 3, claiming a race win at the Norisring.

F2 Racing Spa

He moved up to GP3 with ART in 2017. His first season in the series was winless, but he followed it up with a championship-winning campaign in 2018. This year he stepped up to F1's official feeder series and claimed victories at sprint races in Monaco and France. Arriving at Belgium, hosting the 17th and 18th rounds of the 2019 season, he was eighth in the championship.

F2 Racing Space

The last fatality caused by injuries sustained at a Formula One event was Jules Bianchi, who suffered severe head injuries at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix and died in July 2015.