Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) (AFP)

The death of the young French driver Anthoine Hubert during a Formula 2 race on the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps has brought to the fore the dangers of motorsport where fatal accidents have become rare.

Since the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994, advances in safety, both for the cars themselves (survival cells surrounding the pilot and safety halo protecting his head ...), that circuits allow drivers to to escape unscathed from sometimes extremely violent accidents.

But Hubert's 22-year-old car was literally cut in two on Saturday by American Juan-Manuel Correa's car as she spun on the track after a road trip. Correa, he has both legs broken.

The accident also occurred in a very fast part of the circuit, the famous "Raidillon", increasing the violence of the shock.

"It's something that I've always said and even if we've improved the safety of cars and circuits enormously, it's still a dangerous sport and we must not forget it," said the quadruple world champion on Sunday. French Alain Prost.

The F2 race was held just after qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix on Sunday and was broadcast live on the circuit on giant screens.

Lewis Hamilton, five-time F1 world champion and current leader this season, was giving an interview when he saw the crash on a giant screen. "I hope the guy is fine, it's terrifying," he said, visibly shocked, before moving away.

During the long wait before the confirmation of the death of the young driver, a heavy silence fell on the Ardennes circuit.

The 2nd race of F2, scheduled for Sunday morning, was canceled and the entries of the circuit are decked with French flags with the image of Anthoine Hubert. A minute of silence will be observed in his memory before the start of the Grand Prix at 15:10 (13:10 GMT).

- Young drivers -

If the last driver who died in an F1 Grand Prix before Hubert was another Frenchman, Jules Bianchi, the latter had died in the hospital several months after the accident.

In IndyCar - an American single-seater race formula that is played in part on particularly fast oval circuits - more serious accidents occur.

British drivers Dan Wheldon and Justin Wilson were killed in 2011 and 2015 respectively. While some drivers from F1 are participating, others refuse to consider him as the Frenchman Romain Grosjean who considers this discipline too risky.

Saturday's accident also reminds of the 17-year-old Briton Billy Monger, who was shot in F4 in 2017. He has had both legs and has since started running again and is now a regular " Paddock "of the F1 as a TV commentator.

The average age of drivers has dropped considerably in recent years in both promotional and F1 formats. Max Verstappen, the new "phenomenon" of the Grand Prix is ​​only 21 years old, Charles Leclerc, who will start in pole position for the Grand Prix Sunday on his Ferrari, is the same age.

All know each other to have climbed the ladder together. "I can not believe it, we were the same age, we started running together and we competed on the slopes for years," tweeted after the accident Esteban Ocon who has just joined the stable for 2020 Renault in F1.

Hubert was under the wing of the French manufacturer as part of its program "Renault Sport Academy", which aims to detect young talent to bring them to the highest category.

Because motorsport always attracts as many candidates who usually start with karting at an early age and then participate in promotional formulas in their countries, before moving on to the level of their continent and then worldwide.

And it's not just young men. Anthoine Hubert had at his side on the team BWT-Arden, a woman, the Colombian Tatiana Calderon, 26 years old, the first to run in F2.

© 2019 AFP