In an article he wrote for The New York Times, Sebastian Vettel described how deeply the Anthoine Hubert crash during the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix weekend affected him. The four-time world champion German driver stated that in his more than twenty-year racing career, he only seriously considered giving up driving once, and that was precisely the Spa-Francorchamps weekend in August 2019.
That accident and that night
While Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Vettel shared the front row in the Belgian Grand Prix qualifying rounds, the Formula 2 main race was already underway. Caught in a chain of events on the Raidillon hill, Hubert was struck by Juan Manuel Correa directly in the cockpit area; the accident was unavoidable for Correa. The 22-year-old French driver, who had proven himself in the paddock that season with victories in Monaco and Paul Ricard, lost his life in the accident.
Vettel recounted that night: His wife Hanna called and said she didn't want to race the next day, he spent almost the entire night without sleep, and finally decided to get behind the wheel. Vettel, who finished fourth in the race, emphasized that he had experienced minor accidents himself and seen others crash, but it was the first time he had witnessed an entire life being ended before his eyes.
A shift in perspective.
Vettel stated that he wasn't afraid of speed before the accident, but after that weekend, he started to see speed instead of just feeling it. He shared in his writing: He began to gain a sense of responsibility he hadn't felt before, and he understood that speed, progress, and innovation only make sense when they lead in the right direction. Vettel, who ended his Formula 1 career at the end of 2022, added that he only fully grasped the true extent of this mental transformation after retiring.
In the race held the following day, Vettel finished fourth, while his teammate Leclerc overtook Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to achieve his first Formula 1 victory.