Juan Manuel's Incredible Return to Motorsport
- Rami
- Feb 6, 2021
- 4 min read
Juan Manuel Correa is back and has signed a contract with ART Formula 3 team for the 2021 season after over 16-months out due to a crash injury.
possible trigger warnings!!: description of motorsport crashes and injury.
I will also not be focussing too much on Juan's early career, more his journey back to Formula One.
Early Career
Juan Manuel Correa has received a recent uproar of support after sharing news of his venture back into motorsport, sharing that he will be joining ART racing in Formula 3. The reason for the influx of support and positive comments Correa is receiving is due to the belief that he might not drive again after a horrendous crash on August 31st 2019.
Correa is a 21-year-old racing driver who started his career into motorsport in 2008 in karting, in which he was noticed by the Lotus F1 team after winning multiple titles across America and Ecuador. Just eight years after he began karting, Juan Manuel began racing in ADAC Formula 4 and Italian F4 with Prema Powerteam coming 10th and 6th respectively with 3 wins. He also signed with Jenzer Motorsport in 2018 in GP3 and had multiple point finishes.
Formula 2 (includes talk of his crash).
Juan Manuel began driving in Formula 2 in 2019 with Sauber Junior Team with his teammate, Callum Ilott. It was his first season in the division and achieved two second-places in Baku and Le Castelett.
On August 31st in his debut year of Formula 2, at Spa, Belgium, Juan Manuel was involved in a major crash. This quote from the Guardian explains what happened at the time of the crash:
As the F2 field exited Eau Rouge and headed into the Kemmel Straight, Hubert went off into the barrier and spun back in to the path of Correa, who was launched into the air by the impact, leaving both cars in pieces. Hubert’s Arden car was shattered into two distinct pieces while Correa’s Sauber Junior car was left upside down.
The results of the crash were heartbreaking, with reports of Antione 'succumbing' to his injuries and passing little more than an hour after the crash. Meanwhile, Correa was sent to the ICU with injuries to his legs and respiratory issues. His team released a statement claiming that Juan Manuel's injuries were substantial enough for him not to continue driving that season and that he had suffered fractures to both his legs and a minor spinal injury. His family also released a statement in September 2019 saying that Correa was suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome and had to be put in an induced coma. 2 weeks later, he was woken from his coma and care was shifted to his legs and lungs so his lungs could heal before undergoing surgery.
His Comeback
Juan Manuel announced on Twitter that he would be driving with ART racing in the following Formula Three season, after only 16 months after his crash. He spoke about how driving was his passion and he didn't want to let anything get in the way of stopping his return and that he had a strong mentality throughout the whole rehabilitation process. ART has also stated that Correa is extremely talented and is mentally strong enough to perform well.
However, it has also been stated that Correa will not put too much pressure on himself. He has not driven a car since his accident and is joining F3 to satisfy his passion. He also has stated himself that he has a large learning curve to come and that his goal is still to be in Formula One, but that this is the right first step for him. Below is a quote from ART from the Formula One website:
"Juan Manuel is an example of bravery and tenacity and ART Grand Prix is proud to give him the opportunity to return to racing. Juan Manuel is extremely strong mentally, he is still fighting to be as fit as possible and he is hungry. Behind the wheel, his talent is immense, as shown by his achievements in go-karts and then his first few years in motorsport."
Despite having a leg brace for more than a year and even being in a wheelchair for some time, it has been said that Correa is primed and ready for this season. He has a lot of training to go, to ensure he is healthy enough for the task, along with tests of fitness, but Correa and ART seem positive about the season ahead. Correa has also stated that F3 will be his transition year. He wants to get his head around the sport again, and make sure he is ready to take on the challenges that are to come to be able to make Formula One.
I think it goes without saying that Juan Manuel has all of our support and that we look forward to seeing him race again.
Thank you once again for reading! I hope you enjoyed and if you have any suggestions, please email them to me using the Contact Me tab on this website or DM me on Twitter! As always, feel free to message me for the link to my discord too! I hope you enjoyed my blog!
- Rami
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