Anthoine Hubert

Anthoine Hubert (French pronunciation: ​[ɑ̃twan ybɛʁ]; 22 September 1996 – 31 August 2019) was a French professional racing driver. He was the 2018 GP3 Series champion. He died, aged 22, following an accident during the feature race of the 2019 Spa-Francorchamps FIA Formula 2 round at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

This article is about the racing driver. For the musician, see Antoine Huberty.

Anthoine Hubert
Anthoine Hubert (2013)
Nationality	French
Born	(1996-09-22)22 September 1996 Lyon, France
Died	31 August 2019(2019-08-31) (aged 22) Stavelot, Belgium
Debut season	2019
FIA Formula 2 Championship
Teams	BWT Arden
Car number	19 (retired in honour)[1]
Starts	16
Wins	2
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Previous series
2017–18 2016 2014–15 2014–15 2013	GP3 Series FIA Formula 3 European Championship Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps French F4 Championship
Championship titles
2018 2013	GP3 Series French F4 Championship

Career

Karting

Born in Lyon, Hubert began his karting career in 2004 at age eight.[2] In 2010 he finished as runner-up in the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy.[3] In the 2011 and 2012 CIK-FIA "U18" World Karting Championships, he finished third.[4][5]

Formula Renault

In 2013, Hubert moved up to single-seater racing, joining the French F4 Championship.[6] He went on to win the series on his first attempt, finishing the season with eleven wins and two further podium finishes.[7]

In 2014, he graduated to competing in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 with Tech 1 Racing.[8] He finished fifteenth overall, with six point-scoring finishes throughout the season.[9] He also participated in Formula Renault 2.0 Alps as guest driver.[10]

For the 2015 season Hubert remained in the Eurocup and with Tech 1.[11] He finished fifth in the championship with wins at Silverstone and Le Mans and another five podiums to his name.[12] He also contested selected events in the Alps series, where he won four of the six races that he started, and finished second in other two races.[13]

Formula 3

In February 2016, it was confirmed that Hubert would make his debut in the European Formula 3 Championship, racing with Van Amersfoort Racing.[13] He took his first Formula 3 win in the second race at Norisring.[14]

GP3 Series

Anthoine in Race 1 at Jerez, 2017

In November 2016, Hubert participated in F3 post-season testing with ART Grand Prix.[15] In February 2017, he was recruited by ART to compete in the 2017 championship.[16] He remained with them for the 2018 season, winning the title and gaining reputation with Formula 1 teams such as Renault.[17][18]

FIA Formula 2 Championship

In November 2018, Hubert participated in the F2 post-season test at Abu Dhabi with MP Motorsport.[19] In January 2019, Hubert joined F2 full-time racing with BWT Arden. He took two wins in the first half of his debut season, at Monaco and at his home race in France.[20]

Formula One

In May 2018, Hubert became an affiliated driver with the Renault Sport Academy.[21] In 2019, Hubert received full backing from the Academy.[22]

Death

On 31 August 2019, Hubert was involved in a serious crash on the second lap of the feature race of the 2019 Spa-Francorchamps FIA Formula 2 round. As the second lap began, Trident driver Giuliano Alesi lost control of his car as he climbed the Raidillon curve due to a puncture he had received earlier, causing his car to spin and hit the left wall of the circuit, tearing off his rear wing and spreading debris onto the track. As another Trident driver, Ralph Boschung reached the crest of Raidillon, he slowed down and moved towards the run-off area to avoid Alesi's damaged car and the field of debris. Hubert, who was following Boschung's slowing car closely, moved right as well, clipping Boschung's right rear wheel with his front wing. Hubert's car crashed into the tyre barrier on the right side of the track at an acute angle and was deflected sideways into the path of Charouz driver Juan Manuel Correa, who struck the left side of Hubert's car.[23] Correa's speed was estimated to be between 250 and 270 km/h (155-167 mph) in the moments before the impact.[24] The impact produced 70G deceleration.[25] Both cars were torn apart by the force of the accident. Hubert and Correa were transported to the circuit's medical centre following the accident where Hubert died from his injuries.[26][27]

Correa was airlifted to Liège where he underwent surgery for fractures in both his legs and a minor spinal injury and was reported to be in a stable condition, having never lost consciousness after the impact, but one week later was placed in an induced coma.[28] Alesi, the third driver in the accident, was unhurt. As a result of the accident the feature race was not completed and the sprint race was cancelled out of respect.[29]

Following his death, many drivers and teams in the motorsport world paid tribute to Hubert.[30] On 1 September, a minute's silence was observed before the Formula 3 and Formula 1 races at Spa.[31] Former F3 competitor and Ferrari Formula One driver Charles Leclerc, who won his first career race that afternoon, dedicated his win to Hubert.[32] A standing ovation took place on the 19th lap of the race, corresponding to the number 19 of his Formula 2 car. Before the start of the race, all racing safety vehicles, safety car, medical car, track inspection car, ambulance, car recovery vehicles, etc. made a lap of Circuit de Spa Francorchamps as a tribute to Hubert. All F1 cars had Hubert's car number inside a star and the words "Racing for Anthoine".

Hubert's funeral was on 10 September at Chartres Cathedral, Eure-et-Loir. It was attended by his family, friends and many people from the motorsport world, including Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile president Jean Todt, Renault F1 advisor and four-time champion Alain Prost, Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, and George Russell.[33] Hubert's car number, 19, was later announced to have been retired from use in Formula 2 with his replacement Artem Markelov running the #22 in place of the #19.[1]

Investigation and recommendations

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile launched an investigation into the accident.[34] Findings of the Accident Investigation were presented to the World Motor Sport Council, together with recommended actions in December 2019.[35] F2 cars are built to the same safety standard as F1 cars,[36][37] however, following the accident Racing Point tech boss Andy Green commented: "The energy involved was absolutely huge, and the current chassis design, whether F2 or F1, there's no way a current chassis can survive that sort of impact."[38] The FIA finished this investigation in February 2020.[39]

In May 2020 the FIA Safety Department issued the following safety recommendations which will be implemented in future generations of single seat cars (including F1, F2, F3, F4 and Formula E cars):[40]

• Debris Containment - using "tethering" in order to prevent large pieces from falling of the car (used currently for keeping wheels attached to the chassis in case of an accident), the use of "tethers" may now be expanded to front and rear wings as well as other large components on the car.[41] Correa struck pieces from Alesis car (following Alesis crash) causing Correa's car to become uncontrollable and strike Huberts already disabled car.[42]

• Increasing the frontal and side strength of the cockpit (also known as the "safety cell")[43]

• Improving the car-to-car compatibility during a crash - the narrow nose section of Formula 2 cars can penetrate the side protection of another car.[44] The current side protection consisting of two Side Impact Protection Structures (SIPS) and Side Anti Intrusion Panel will be redesigned.[45][46] The lack of compatibility in car-to-car collisions was also noticed in the 2017 Billy Monger crash where a piece of the car crash protection structure (designed to protect the driver when colliding with a wall) can cause unnecessarily serious injuries if struck by another car.[47] Correa impacted Hubert at a speed of 218km/h, experiencing 65G and suffered much more serious injuries than Robert Kubica did in his 2007 crash (acute respiratory distress syndrome, broken legs, spinal injury[48] vs. Kubicas sprained ankel).[49] Kubica struck the wall at 230km/h and experienced 75G (both higher than Correa).[50]

• Front wing redesign - increase the robustness of the front wing by introducing the “controlled failure” points which should reduce the chance that the entire front wing is destroyed in case of minor contact with another car,[51] as this caused Huberts car to crash into the barriers and become immobilised,[52] additionally, the loss of the entire front wing also caused Correa to lose control of his car which ultimately resulted in the fatal car-to-car crash between them.[53]

• Headrest redesign (also known as cockpit surround padding)[54] - ensuring that all or at last part of the headrest remains in place in case of a heavy crash.[55] Same problem already observed during Magnussens 2016 crash.[56]

• Quicker Accident Notification System - for example using the existing rain light to flash in different colours (e.g. yellow to indicate yellow flag conditions on the track or red (to indicate that the race has been stopped). Possible introduction of car to car communication, i.e. notifications of stationary car(s) on the track.[57][58]

• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Deployment - crash sequence began with Alesi losing control due to a tyre puncture which he was unaware of before he lost control[59][60]

Legacy

At the FIA Formula 2 Championship prize-giving ceremony in Monaco in 2019 the Anthoine Hubert Award was introduced. It is named after Hubert who was the only rookie in the season to score two wins.[61] The award is given to the highest-placed driver without previous Formula 2 experience.[62] The inaugural recipient of the Anthoine Hubert Award was Guanyu Zhou.

Anthoine is remembered within the racing game F1 2020, he is a selectable driver in the “My Team” game mode.[63]

Racing record

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	FLaps	Podiums	Points	Position
2013	French F4 Championship	Autosport Academy	21	11	10	8	13	365	1st
2014	Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0	Tech 1 Racing	14	0	0	0	0	30	15th
	Formula Renault 2.0 Alps		6	0	0	0	0	N/A	NC†
2015	Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0	Tech 1 Racing	17	2	2	2	7	172	5th
	Formula Renault 2.0 Alps		6	4	4	3	6	N/A	NC†
2016	FIA Formula 3 European Championship	Van Amersfoort Racing	30	1	1	1	3	160	8th
	Masters of Formula 3		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	7th
	Macau Grand Prix		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	13th
2017	GP3 Series	ART Grand Prix	15	0	0	4	4	123	4th
2018	GP3 Series	ART Grand Prix	18	2	2	4	11	214	1st
2019	FIA Formula 2 Championship	BWT Arden	16	2	0	0	2	77	10th

^† As Hubert was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	DC	Points
2016	Van Amersfoort Racing	Mercedes	LEC 1 17	LEC 2 8	LEC 3 6	HUN 1 Ret	HUN 2 13	HUN 3 14	PAU 1 12	PAU 2 7	PAU 3 12	RBR 1 16	RBR 2 10	RBR 3 16	NOR 1 8	NOR 2 1	NOR 3 2	ZAN 1 9	ZAN 2 4	ZAN 3 10	SPA 1 Ret	SPA 2 4	SPA 3 2	NÜR 1 10	NÜR 2 5	NÜR 3 9	IMO 1 5	IMO 2 6	IMO 3 6	HOC 1 10	HOC 2 7	HOC 3 10	8th	160
Source:[64]

Complete GP3 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pos	Points	Ref
2017	ART Grand Prix	CAT FEA 5	CAT SPR 4	RBR FEA 4	RBR SPR 7	SIL FEA 2	SIL SPR 8	HUN FEA 3	HUN SPR 5	SPA FEA Ret	SPA SPR 7	MNZ FEA 3	MNZ SPR C	JER FEA 5	JER SPR 3	YMC FEA 11	YMC SPR 5			4th	123	[65]
2018	ART Grand Prix	CAT FEA 2	CAT SPR 2	LEC FEA 1	LEC SPR 7	RBR FEA 17	RBR SPR 9	SIL FEA 1	SIL SPR 4	HUN FEA 3	HUN SPR 3	SPA FEA 3	SPA SPR 2	MNZ FEA 2	MNZ SPR DSQ	SOC FEA 3	SOC SPR 4	YMC FEA 3	YMC SPR Ret	1st	214	[66]

Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	DC	Points	Ref
2019	BWT Arden	BHR FEA 4	BHR SPR 9	BAK FEA 10	BAK SPR 11	CAT FEA 6	CAT SPR 5	MON FEA 8	MON SPR 1	LEC FEA 8	LEC SPR 1	RBR FEA 4	RBR SPR 17	SIL FEA 18	SIL SPR 11	HUN FEA 11	HUN SPR 11	SPA FEA C	SPA SPR C	MNZ FEA	MNZ SPR	SOC FEA	SOC SPR	YMC FEA	YMC SPR	10th	77	[67]

References

1. "F2 - Markelov joins Arden as Hubert's #19 is retired". FormulaSpy. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
2. Benson, Andrew (31 August 2019). "Anthoine Hubert Formula 2 death: Why the motorsport 'family' races on". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
3. "CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy 2010 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
4. "CIK-FIA "U18" World Karting Championship 2011 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
5. "CIK-FIA "U18" World Karting Championship 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
6. "The 2013 French F4 Championship field is taking shape". Auto Sport Academy. French F4 Championship. 15 February 2013. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
7. "French F4 Championship 2013 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
8. Khorounzhiy, Valentin (8 January 2014). "Hubert, Romanov join Orudzhev in Tech 1's Eurocup lineup". PaddockScout.com. Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
9. "Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup 2014". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
10. "Formula Renault 2.0 Alps 2014 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
11. Khorounzhiy, Valentin (5 March 2015). "Tech 1 Racing retain Hubert for 2015 Eurocup campaign". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
12. David, Gruz (7 November 2015). "2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season review". Formula Scout. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
13. Khorounzhiy, Valentin (29 February 2016). "Hubert completes Van Amersfoort line-up". motorsport.com. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
14. Bosley, Jacob (25 June 2016). "Hubert takes debut F3 win in second Norisring race". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
15. "Driver entry list for day 3 of post-season test". GP3 Series. 1 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
16. "ART signs Hubert". GP3 Series. 23 February 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
17. Benyon, Jack. "GP3 Spain: ART driver Hubert gets 'dream' 2018 Renault F1 backing". Autosport.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
18. Benyon, Jack. "Anthoine Hubert claims last GP3 title, Leo Pulcini wins race one". Autosport.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
19. Larkam, Lewis (28 November 2018). "GP3 champion Hubert included in F2 Abu Dhabi test line-up". Crash.net. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
20. "Anthoine Hubert Joins BWT Arden for 2019 Season". FIA Formula 2. 23 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
21. "Anthoine Hubert becomes first Renault Sport Affiliated Driver". Renault Sport. 11 May 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
22. Horton, Phillip (23 January 2019). "GP3 champion Anthoine Hubert joins Renault F1 scheme, makes F2 move". Motorsport Week. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
23. "Fatal F2 crash: detailed new analysis on how it happened, is action needed?". thejudge13.
24. Schmidt, Michael (1 September 2019). "Hubert-Unfallanalyse läuft an: Correa geht es besser". auto motor und sport (in German). Retrieved 2 September 2019.
25. "Correa says 'very bad luck' caused tragic Spa accident". 23 November 2019.
26. "Statement: Incident during FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race, Spa-Francorchamps". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
27. "Formula 2: Anthoine Hubert killed in Belgium crash". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
28. "Correa listed as stable after surgery for crash injuries". Motorsport.com. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
29. "Statement: Anthoine Hubert". formula1. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
30. Herrero, Daniel (1 September 2019). "F1 paddock pays tribute to late Hubert". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
31. "Anthoine Hubert: Formula 1 pays tribute with minute's silence before Belgian GP". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
32. "Leclerc: First career win "difficult" to enjoy after Hubert tragedy". Motorsport.com. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
33. "Anthoine Hubert: Respects paid at F2 driver's funeral in France". Sky News. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
34. "Statement: Incident during FIA Formula 2 Feature Race, Spa-Francorchamps". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
35. "FIA ANNOUNCES WORLD MOTOR SPORT COUNCIL DECISIONS". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 5 December 2019.
36. Petric, Darjan (23 January 2018). "Technical specification: New F2 2018 car never so close to F1".
37. "Cockpit safety". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website.
38. Osten, Phillip van (21 September 2019). "F1 considers safety changes for 2020 following Hubert crash investigation".
39. "Fia Concludes investigation into Formula 2 accident at Spa Francorchamps". 9 February 2020.
40. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-announces-further-safety-initiatives-following-its-latest-accident-research
41. https://motorsport.tech/formula-1/how-the-fia-foundation-is-ever-striving-to-make-motorsport-safer
42. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-concludes-investigation-formula-2-accident-spa-francorchamps
43. https://www.racefans.net/2020/05/11/fia-announces-major-safety-changes-following-serious-and-fatal-crashes/
44. https://motorsport.tech/formula-1/how-the-fia-foundation-is-ever-striving-to-make-motorsport-safer
45. https://motorsport.tech/formula-1/how-the-fia-foundation-is-ever-striving-to-make-motorsport-safer
46. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-announces-further-safety-initiatives-following-its-latest-accident-research
47. https://motorsport.tech/formula-1/how-the-fia-foundation-is-ever-striving-to-make-motorsport-safer
48. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/07/juan-manuel-correa-induced-coma-one-week-after-fatal-formula-two-crash-anthoine-hubert
49. https://www.racefans.net/2007/06/11/kubica-escapes-injury-in-violent-crash/
50. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/59988/kubica-crash-data-disclosed
51. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-announces-further-safety-initiatives-following-its-latest-accident-research
52. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-concludes-investigation-formula-2-accident-spa-francorchamps
53. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-concludes-investigation-formula-2-accident-spa-francorchamps
54. https://motorsport.tech/formula-1/how-the-fia-foundation-is-ever-striving-to-make-motorsport-safer
55. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-announces-further-safety-initiatives-following-its-latest-accident-research
56. https://f1i.com/news/69133-fia-investigate-magnussen-headrest-separation.html
57. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-announces-further-safety-initiatives-following-its-latest-accident-research
58. https://motorsport.tech/formula-1/how-the-fia-foundation-is-ever-striving-to-make-motorsport-safer
59. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-concludes-investigation-formula-2-accident-spa-francorchamps
60. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-announces-further-safety-initiatives-following-its-latest-accident-research
61. "Formula 2 introduces the Anthoine Hubert Award - Formula 2". www.fiaformula2.com.
62. Allen, Peter (12 December 2019). "F2 introduces Anthoine Hubert Award, presented to Guanyu Zhou". formulascout.com. Formula Scout. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
63. "Anthoine Hubert included in F1 2020 game, tough decision". PlanetF1. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
64. "FIA European Formula 3 Championship – Season 2016". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
65. "GP3 Series – Season 2017". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
66. "GP3 Series – Season 2018". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
67. "FIA Formula 2 Championship – Season 2019". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2019.

External links

• Official site
• Anthoine Hubert career summary at DriverDB.com

Sporting positions
Preceded by Alexandre Baron	French F4 Championship Champion 2013	Succeeded by Lasse Sørensen
Preceded by George Russell	GP3 Series Champion 2018	Succeeded by Robert Shwartzman (FIA Formula 3 Championship)