Juan Manuel Correa has returned to Sauber’s young driver academy, almost two years on from the horrific crash which cut short his progress through the junior formulae.
The 21-year-old has returned to racing in Formula 3 this year after spending 2020 recovering from the serious injuries he suffered in the 2019 crash at Spa which also claimed the life of Anthoine Hubert.Prior to that Correa had been a member of the Sauber Academy, which is linked to the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team. He tested one of their F1 cars at Paul Ricard in the weeks before the Spa crash.
His return to the academy follows an encouraging first weekend with ART in Formula 3 at the Circuit de Catalunya last month where he scored a point in the second race. The championship continues at Paul Ricard this weekend.
“It’s very special to be back with the Sauber Academy,” said Correa, “they’re the junior programme of the team I was with in 2019, when I had my first and only F1 test, and it’s a great feeling to be working with them again.
“I am very excited to show the Academy’s branding on my car and my helmet already from this weekend in France and I am looking forward to helping the team whenever needed, be it in the sim or elsewhere. I am very grateful to ART and Sébastien Philippe, and of course to Fred Vasseur, for all the support he has given me, and to everyone else at Sauber, from Beat Zehnder to all those who have been absolutely amazing and so supportive since my accident and throughout my recovery. It’s an honour to be back with this team.”
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RandomMallard (@)
18th June 2021, 8:45
My admiration for this young man cannot be put into words. After everything he’s been through, to be back in single seater racing, and score points on his first weekend back, is just incredible.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
18th June 2021, 8:55
@randommallard Yeah, not just the physical damage, but everything else that must have gone on in his head and perhaps still does. Obviously I hope his appointment is on merit, which I think it is, he’s essentially going back to where he was before the crash.
After all the terribleness that came from that day at Spa, it’s great to see him doing what he loves, it’s a minor but still relevant positive.
MacLeod (@macleod)
18th June 2021, 9:25
Sounds harsh but 2 years out of the game I think he lost too much to return to his earlier results.
BasCB (@bascb)
18th June 2021, 14:42
Great to see how hard he is working and how he is succeeding in getting back on track. These are the good stories we need in our lives.