Anthoine Hubert was in his rookie season in Formula 2. The series is something of a 'minor leagues' for Formula 1. Formula 1 is considered by some to be the world's premier racing league.
The season had been going well for Hubert. He had scored two wins, including one at the famed Circuit de Monaco. But during an August 31st race in Belgium, tragedy struck.
A major crash involving four drivers
Formula 2 was holding a race at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium in the Forest of Ardennes. The track is a famous one. Just hours before, it held qualifying for the Formula 1 event scheduled for the next day.
But things went terribly wrong very early in the race, as indicated by CBS News.
On the second lap, a major collision occurred. The Frenchman Hubert collided with American driver Juan Manuel Correa. Both cars were severed and Correa's was turned upside-down. Hubert and Correa were both taken to a hospital and the rest of the race was canceled. Correa would later be declared as being in stable condition, but Hubert would not survive his injuries.
Two other drivers were involved in the incident. One was France's Giuliano Alesi, son of former Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi. The other was Marino Sato of Japan. Both drivers came away relatively unharmed.
The New York Daily News reports that famed Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton commented on the tragedy.
He wrote in part 'God rest your soul Anthoine.'
Safety has long been a massive concern in auto racing. Formula racing had been particularly notorious in this aspect. Safety began being taken more seriously in the 1990s. A 1994 Formula 1 race in Italy took the lives of two drivers. One was Roland Ratzenberger, a rookie. The other was three-time series champion Ayrton Senna.
While it's likely unfair to other drivers who've perished, the loss of Senna, in particular, sent shockwaves. The death of a driver with his stature spurred on the development of safety standards. Similar events would happen with NASCAR, America's most popular racing organization. A 2001 crash at the Daytona 500, NASCAR's most prominent race, took the life of Dale Earnhardt.
Earnhardt had been a seven-time champion in NASCAR's top series.
Hubert was a champion in other series
Hubert's success in his brief time in Formula 2 showed signs of a promising future. As had his successes in other racing series. In his youth, Hubert competed in karting. He was a series runner-up once and a third-place finisher twice.
Hubert competed in a number of series. In 2013, he won the championship in French F4. Five years later, he was the champion of the GP3 Series. Other series he raced in include Formula 3.
