Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc says it will be “difficult” to return to Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, a year after his friend Anthoine Hubert died.
Frenchman Hubert, 22, was killed in a high-speed crash during a Formula 2 race at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Charles said: “The Spa-Francorchamps circuit has a special place in my heart. While it is here that I took my first win, it is also where we lost our friend Anthoine last year. It will be difficult to return to this track and he will be in our thoughts all weeken.”
Charles took his maiden F1 win at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix, 24 hours after the death of childhood friend and rival Hubert. The loss deeply affected many of the Formula 1 drivers, who had to confront their own mortality in a way many had not experienced before.
“In terms of expectations, it will be tougher for us in terms of performance this time around as we do not have the same level of competitivness as we did in 2019. However, we have seen that anything can happen at this track, especially with the unpredictable weather. As a team, we will have to work very hard to do all we can to get the most out of the car right from Friday. In free practice, we must gather all the information needed to pick the best strategy for qualifying and especially for the race”.” – Charles Leclerc concluded his preview of the next race.
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