Correa: I have to return not only for myself, but for Hubert

Juan Manuel Correa remains determined to make a return to racing in the future after sustaining severe injuries in the Formula 2 crash at Spa in August that claimed the life of Anthoine Hubert.

Correa and Hubert were involved in the multi-car accident early in the F2 Feature Race at Spa. Hubert died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

Correa was left with injuries to his right leg, before later suffering from respiratory failure that resulted in him being placed in a coma for two weeks.

The Sauber Junior Team by Charouz driver has since returned to his home in the United States to begin a lengthy rehabilitation process.

Speaking to Mundo Sport, Correa said that while he was unlikely to make a full recovery from his injuries, he “will fight to recover it enough to step on the throttle again.”

He added: “My passion is still racing. A friend asked me if this ends my F1 dream. I told him that an accident does not end the dream, but it does make you think if you want to take a risk for a dream.

“And I decided that I want to continue doing so because it is my dream.”

Correa said he was determined to make a return to racing not only for himself, but also in the memory of Hubert.

“It took me a few weeks to accept everything,” Correa said. “It is difficult to understand with pain drugs in the hospital. It took me time to accept it, but my attitude is pragmatic: nothing will change what happened, so I have to make the best of it.

“Of course I feel sadness. Anthoine was a good friend, but now I feel that I have to return not only for myself, but also for him.

“When I woke up from the coma, I realised that I could stay in bed feeling bad and depressed, or fight to get up and go back, and that’s what I do.

“I am motivated by the dream of returning to F2 and reaching F1 in the future.”

Correa will undergo further surgery on December 23, but said he is recovering faster than his doctors initially anticipated

“At the beginning, the doctors expected two years to make the recovery, but my body is doing everything faster,” Correa said.

“It recovers and regenerates the bones faster than normal. Being optimistic, in a year we could have the full idea of ​​how much more I can recover.”