Motor racing’s governing body, the FIA, has concluded no single factor caused and no driver was to blame for the fatal crash which claimed the life of Anthoine Hubert in a Formula 2 race last year.
Hubert was killed at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit on August 31 after losing control of his car and being hit side-on at 216 km/h by American driver Juan Manuel Correa. The report said Hubert’s car had been “virtually stationary” at the moment of impact, resulting in a peak impact force of 81.8g.
Correa is currently undergoing a lengthy rehabilitation programme to recover from the serious leg injuries sustained in the crash. The incident involved two other cars, driven by Guiliano Alesi and Ralph Boschung, who were both unhurt.
On Friday the FIA released the main findings:
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A chain of events resulted in a protracted and complex crash sequence involving four drivers, which ultimately led to a high-speed ‘T-Bone’ type impact between the cars of Juan Manuel Correa and Anthoine Hubert.
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The dynamics of the car-to-car impact in terms of speed and trajectory were such that an extremely high level of energy was transferred and dissipated, translating into non-survivable trauma to Anthoine Hubert and very serious injuries to Juan Manuel Correa.
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There was no single specific cause but multiple contributory factors giving rise to the severity of the accident were identified, following a detailed analysis of the various phases of the accident.
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The investigation found no evidence that any driver failed to react appropriately in response to the yellow flag signal or to the circumstances on track.
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The reaction of marshals and race control in deploying signaling and rescue services in relation to the accident is considered timely and good.
More to follow…