Juan Manuel Correa

Correa began karting professionally in 2008, taking titles across Ecuador and the United States, most notably becoming the Rotax Max Challenge Junior Champion in 2013. During his karting days, he was noticed by the now-defunct Formula One team Lotus F1's driver's program.

In 2016, Correa made his single-seater debut with Prema Powerteam in both the ADAC Formula 4 and Italian F4 championships.[1] Over the campaign, he amassed three wins and claimed sixth in Italian F4 and tenth in ADAC F4. The following year, Correa repeated this campaign, but mostly focusing on ADAC F4.[2]

In August 2017, Correa made his debut in the series at the Spa-Francorchamps round with Jenzer Motorsport.[3] Correa signed with Jenzer Motorsport for the full-time campaign in 2018 GP3 Series.[4]

2019 was Correa's first full FIA Formula 2 season,[5] alongside teammate Callum Ilott for Sauber Junior Team by Charouz. He achieved two second places in Baku and Le Castellet.

On August 31, 2019, Correa was involved in a serious crash with Anthoine Hubert on the second lap of the feature race of the 2019 Spa-Francorchamps FIA Formula 2 round, Belgium. Hubert subsequently died from his injuries,[6] and Correa's injuries were severe enough to eliminate him from further competition in the 2019 Formula 2 season. Correa's media team released a statement a few hours after the accident confirming that he had suffered fractures to both of his legs and a minor spinal injury.[7] They also stated that he had been helicoptered to hospital, had undergone surgery, and had been admitted to intensive care. His condition was described as stable. He was reported to have remained conscious following the crash.[8]

On September 7, 2019, a statement issued by Correa's family confirmed that he was diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome after being transferred to an intensive care unit in London, and had been placed in an induced coma under ECMO support after falling into acute respiratory failure.[9]

On September 20, 2019, Correa's family issued a statement confirming that Correa had been taken out of ECMO support, and had been woken from the induced coma. The family further confirmed that medical priority had been shifted from Correa's lungs to his legs, as critical surgery could not be performed until his lungs had recovered enough to withstand a lengthy procedure.[10] By September 28, Correa's lungs were strong enough to proceed; Correa opted for an approach to save as much of his right leg as possible, as opposed to a first step involving the amputation of his foot. The surgery was scheduled for September 29.[11] The reconstructive surgery was largely deemed a success, though Correa faces at least a year of rehabilitation after his injuries.[12] Correa was announced as the winner of the FIA Americas award in the car category, receiving his award in person from his wheelchair on 14 January 2020. He was given a standing ovation from the audience, which included FIA officials that had flown to Panama City, Panama, from Geneva, Switzerland for the event: Deputy President of Sport, Graham Stoker; and Deputy President of Mobility and Tourism, Thierry Willemarck.[13]

Correa complained, in an interview with NTV published on 28 January 2020, that the FIA had ignored him and left him without support during his recovery. He said:[14]

"Everyone went to Monza the next day after the accident, I stayed in the hospital and I almost died four days after the accident. And there was nobody in the FIA or someone who looked after me. [...] The reason that I almost died was because of the strong G-forces that you can only have after such a serious accident. The doctors in the hospital in Belgium didn't know what that was because they have never seen anyone who has survived such a big impact." — (Translated from German)

Dr. Christian Wahlen, the chief medical officer at Spa at the time of the accident, responded to this on 28 January 2020. He said that Correa had received "immediate medical care" from the doctor attending the scene of the accident, "administered by the circuit-appointed doctor who is an experienced anaesthetist".[15] Wahlen went on to say that "the activities of medical staff attending the accident were coordinated by FIA deputy F1 medical delegate and F1 rescue coordinator doctor Ian Roberts", and that Correa was flown to Liege hospital after "consulting with doctor Alain Chantegret, FIA F1 medical delegate". Wahlen also claims that he and President of the FIA Institute Gérard Saillant, a leading orthopaedic surgeon, were both constantly updating the family during the following days.

Wahlen said that "On Tuesday morning Juan Manuel developed symptoms indicating a respiratory problem. On the same day, the Correa family took the decision to transfer him to a specialist clinic at a hospital in London".[15] Though the interview details the involvement of the FIA doctors over the three days of Sunday to Tuesday, and that Correa was taken out of their immediate care, it does not offer any explanation of the following months. On 10 February 2020 Correa clarified the situation surrounding the first article. He stated that the article, written by a journalist from essentiallysports.com, was out of context. Correa said:[16]

"The fact is that many of the statements ascribed to me are either taken out of context or simply not accurate. And while I am sure that the journalist involved had only the best intentions, I think it is critical that I set the record straight. As you all know, I have the utmost respect for the journalists that cover our sport and support us, but I cannot allow remarks that I did not make go on the record undisputed. Secondly, I have not accused anyone of anything. I have merely pointed out facts related to the sequence of events that occurred post-accident, how my family and myself experienced that ordeal, and the many lessons that all of us can learn from this unfortunate event. [...] Again, the investigation is ongoing, and I trust the lessons learned will be incorporated as part of its recommendations."

In a video interview with The Race, published on 15 February 2020, Correa opens up about the aftermath of the accident. He states that he saw his legs were shattered, and "it seemed like they were [only] connected by the suit, they were like gelatine".[17] He asked the doctor at the scene of the crash "to put me to sleep because of the pain. I went into the coma, and I woke up from the coma two weeks later, so actually I really regained my consciousness about three weeks after the crash."[17]

Correa will make his racing comeback in the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship with ART Grand Prix.

During his karting years, Correa was put into the junior program of the Lotus F1 Team, but was dropped following the team's takeover by Renault.[18] He was signed as Alfa Romeo Racing's development driver for the 2019 season.[19]

^† Correa did not compete in the required number of rounds to be eligible for a championship position.

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

^† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified for completed over 90% of the race distance.

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)