Aspiring F1 driver Juan Manuel Correa back on track after fatal crash
MIAMI (BVM) 鈥� A true sporting life doesn鈥檛 come without risk. And when risk calls in its marker, you better hope you鈥檙e blessed enough to make it through the adversity. Juan Manuel Correa was.
Car accidents are a nasty business. Horrific experiences. Especially when traveling at speeds in excess of 200 mph.
On Aug. 31, 2019, Correa was involved in a terrifying collision with French driver Anthonie Hubert during a Formula 2 race at the celebrated Spa track in Stavelot, Belgium. Tragically, Hubert died.聽
Correa suffered major fractures to his legs and vertebrae along with serious damage to his lungs.
鈥淎nd I just remember I hit the brakes,鈥� Correa recounted. 鈥淭he car didn’t stop because it was only the rear tires braking鈥nd immediately I looked up, I saw the other car, and boom鈥nd then the next thing I remember is just the very, very big pain in the legs, which was immediate, and how scared I was because of that.鈥�
After the accident, Correa was transported to a hospital in Belgium, undergoing surgery before developing acute respiratory syndrome while in intensive care. Correa was moved to London for special medical treatment and placed in an induced coma, allowing doctors to save his lungs. His injuries also necessitated multiple reconstructive surgeries on his legs.
Correa said he has been involved in many crashes, and it generally takes a couple of hours for the adrenaline effect to dissipate and the pain to make its presence known.
鈥淚n this case, the pain was immediate, and I knew something was very wrong,鈥� he said. 鈥淪omething happened to my legs鈥 thought the legs had just been chopped off in the moment. So that’s kind of like the memory I have.鈥�
Correa began driving when he was 7 years old and moving on an upward trajectory in 2019, racing in the Formula 2 Championship series; his sights set on a ride in the Formula 1 World Championship series.
The tragic incident was understandably a blur. A dose of surreal reality. Correa mostly remembers what happened from how he told the story — a memory of a memory as it were.
鈥淵ou know what I mean? So I kind of had the whole plot in my head because of how I remember it, but I don’t know if it’s 100% accurate in many ways,鈥� he admitted. 鈥淚 was conscious throughout the crash鈥o be honest, it’s kind of like, you go to sleep one day, and you wake up the next morning, and your whole life is upside down.鈥�
The race car driver remained in a coma for two weeks. When he came out of it, Correa went into an alarming withdrawal process due to the drugs administered to him. He likened it to what a drug addict might experience. Correa was put in a room, losing his mind for a few days.
鈥淪o you’re literally hallucinating, you’re seeing ghosts,” Correa said. “A crazy experience, honestly, a crazy experience.”
Correa鈥檚 brain tried to block out the trauma, impacting his memories of the entire situation.
鈥淪o I had to go kind of through a process of verifying my parents were there, obviously,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I had to verify with them what was true and what wasn鈥檛, what I had dreamed in the coma and what had actually happened.鈥�
But the Ecuador-born American has soldiered on despite a carload of severe injuries that would keep most from competing again. He mapped out a route for his return to the track.
鈥淎nd I kind of told myself, like, I either can sit here and feel bad about myself and be depressed and ruin the rest of my life because of this, or you could just get on with it and make the best out of it,鈥� Correa said.
Almost immediately after his post-coma stupor, Correa began formulating his game plan. He told everyone he was going back to racing, receiving uncertainty masked as encouragement.
鈥淪o then I kind of stopped talking about it so much because I felt like people were not taking me seriously,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not doing this for anyone else. I’m doing it for myself.鈥�
While Correa continued working on the plan for nearly a year and through 20-plus surgeries, people began believing that he really would be returning to the sport.
鈥淎nd little by little, everything I said started to come through鈥t was a mix of kind of like faith, feeling,鈥� Correa said. 鈥淏ut at the same time, there was a lot of risk-taking, in the sense of it was an unknown, no one had ever done a recovery like this. I couldn’t ask the doctors, 鈥極h, am I going to be ready to drive in a year?鈥� Because they would laugh in my face and be like, 鈥楳an, we don’t even know if you’re gonna be standing up.鈥欌��
However, it seemingly has worked out for him. Correa is currently ninth in the F3 Championship standings with 21 points and six races to go 鈥� the next competition at Silverstone in the U.K. Correa raced last season but didn鈥檛 feel a part of it.
鈥淚 was more of a patient than a professional driver鈥ith all the rehab I had to do,鈥� Correa said. 鈥淎nd you know, I started the season being 20 steps behind everyone else, and I finished the season being five steps behind.鈥�
The 2022 season goals are to battle for the title, win some races and achieve a frontrunner outcome. However, a recent setback indirectly related to his injuries 鈥� a stress fracture in a metatarsal bone 鈥� kept Correa out of two races.
鈥淪o it’s very frustrating,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd it’s gonna be hard to fight for the title having missed the full race weekend. So that鈥檚 two more races I couldn’t do. But my goal is still to be a front runner in F3 and win races.鈥�
And there is Hubert. The late Frenchman鈥檚 memory serves a residency in Correa鈥檚 mind and reflects in his daily pain.
鈥淚 think I thought about him every day for the first two years after the accident鈥 have pain every time I take a step so that automatically makes me think about it,鈥� Correa revealed. 鈥淪o I just live with that constant thought鈥hat’s also why I don’t process the fact that he died. And you know, what I’m trying to say is I process it differently from other people because I have to process it every day. All the time.鈥�
Correa estimates he鈥檚 lost a few years in his racing timeline due to the accident but has gained much more psychologically.
鈥淚 was already mentally tough,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut this has made me a complete different beast, to be honest. I think psychologically, there’s nobody in the paddock as strong as me. And I’m really convinced about that.鈥�
His ultimate goal, of course, is to race at the F1 level, but first has to demonstrate his value this season and in F2.
鈥淢y goal is very clear, I want to position myself next year to sign with a top team鈥nd together with a top team, I want to fight for the title in 2023, Formula Two Championship.鈥�
He believes if he can win or place in the top three, his chances of making it into F1 improve dramatically.
鈥溾�hen I think I am very well-positioned to become that American driver in F1 that everyone is looking for. And I think I can easily be that guy in the next two years. So very bluntly, that鈥檚 my goal鈥ut of course, at the moment, I have to worry about my F3 season and take it one step at a time.鈥�