Sebastian Vettel Reveals Impact of Spa 2019 Tragedy

Sebastian Vettel has revealed that the fatal accident which claimed the life of Anthoine Hubert during the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix weekend left him unwilling to compete in the following day’s Formula 1 race.

Hubert died at the age of 22 after an accident during the Formula 2 Feature Race at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The race took place shortly after Formula 1 qualifying, meaning the tragedy immediately affected the entire paddock ahead of the grand prix.

Writing in an article for The New York Times, Vettel explained that the incident represented the only occasion in more than two decades of racing when he seriously questioned whether he wanted to return to the car.

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“I called my wife and told her I did not want to race the next day after the accident,” Vettel wrote.

Vettel ultimately decided to contest the Belgian Grand Prix after sleeping poorly during the night. The event was held amid tributes to Hubert, while Vettel’s then team-mate Charles Leclerc went on to win the race.

His decision to compete did not remove the impact of the tragedy. Vettel admitted that the Spa weekend changed how he understood speed and risk. He was not afraid of the pace of a racing car, but began to recognise its consequences from a different perspective and developed a sense of responsibility he had not previously experienced.

The former world champion concluded that speed, technological progress and innovation only have value when they move the sport in the right direction. He said the full meaning of that change became clearer after his retirement, when he could reassess the relationship between competition, risk and human responsibility in motorsport.

Vettel’s comments received renewed attention on July 1, 2026, exactly three years after Formula Regional driver Dilano van 't Hoff lost his life at the same section of Spa-Francorchamps. Both tragedies remain a reminder that continued safety development must remain a central priority across every level of racing.