Pierre Gasly Leads Spa Tribute to Anthoine Hubert 2026

Key Takeaways

A Return to the Red Barrier at Spa-Francorchamps

On July 16, 2026, Pierre Gasly laid a bouquet of flowers at the red barrier at Spa-Francorchamps, the spot where tributes to Anthoine Hubert are placed by drivers, teams and fans every year. The gesture took place during preview days ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, before any cars had turned a wheel in anger on the circuit. Photos of the moment were shared by Gasly on his own Instagram account, showing him alone at the barrier with the flowers he had brought.

The red barrier has become a fixed point of pilgrimage at Spa-Francorchamps. It is not a general memorial wall but a specific, recognizable location on the circuit grounds that fans and drivers alike return to each time the paddock arrives in the Ardennes forest. Gasly’s visit this year followed the same pattern he has kept since 2019 — a quiet, personal stop before the wider commotion of a race weekend takes over the track.

Who Was Anthoine Hubert

Anthoine Hubert was Pierre Gasly’s childhood friend and karting teammate, and he died in the Formula 2 feature race at Spa-Francorchamps in August 2019. The two had raced together from a young age, coming up through French karting before their paths diverged into different categories on the way toward Formula 1.

Hubert’s death during that F2 feature race sent a shockwave through the paddock that summer, arriving in the same season Gasly himself was competing in Formula 1. The connection between the two men was not a passing acquaintance between rivals — it was a friendship built over years of shared travel, shared circuits and shared ambition, which is why the tribute each July has carried a personal weight beyond the standard rituals of the sport.

Drivers Unite in Navy Tribute Shirts

Formula 1’s official account shared photographs of drivers gathered together on track wearing matching navy T-shirts bearing a star logo, marking a collective tribute during the Belgian Grand Prix preview days. The image showed the drivers assembled as a group rather than individually, a visual that underlined the shared nature of the gesture across the grid rather than any single team or driver claiming it as their own.

The choice of matching shirts turns an individual act of remembrance into something the whole paddock can stand behind at once. Rather than separate, scattered tributes from different corners of the paddock, the drivers were pictured together on the circuit itself, in the same navy shirts, presenting a unified moment that Formula 1’s channels then carried to a wider audience beyond those physically present at Spa-Francorchamps.

A Young Karter and the Orange Helmet

Among the images shared by Formula 1’s official account was a young karter photographed holding an orange helmet during the on-track gathering. The presence of a young racer at the tribute links the memory of Anthoine Hubert directly back to the grassroots karting scene where he and Gasly first raced together as children.

The orange helmet held by the young karter was not explained further in the images shared, but its presence alongside the assembled Formula 1 drivers reinforced the through-line from junior karting circuits to the top level of the sport — the same path Hubert and Gasly once walked together before one of them never got the chance to return to Spa-Francorchamps as a competitor again.

Seven Years of Remembrance

Anthoine Hubert died in August 2019, meaning the July 2026 tribute marks roughly seven years since his passing at Spa-Francorchamps. Pierre Gasly has returned to the red barrier at the circuit each year since, a pattern now well established across seven editions of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

What began as a single, raw moment of grief in 2019 has settled into an annual fixture of the Spa-Francorchamps calendar. The red barrier tribute and the wider on-track gathering captured by Formula 1’s official account this year show that the memory has not faded with each passing season, even as the grid itself has changed considerably in the years since Hubert’s death.

Looking Ahead to Belgian Grand Prix Weekend

The Belgian Grand Prix weekend at Spa-Francorchamps follows directly on from these preview-day tributes, with the on-track sessions still to come after July 16, 2026. No practice, qualifying or race results had been set at the point these tribute photos were shared, and the memorial gestures took place separately from any competitive running at the circuit.

Pierre Gasly, driving for Alpine this season, will take to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend carrying the same personal history that brought him to the red barrier days earlier. The tribute and the race itself remain distinct moments — one a private act of remembrance, the other the competitive weekend still ahead on the calendar.

FAQ

Q: When did Pierre Gasly pay tribute to Anthoine Hubert in 2026?
Pierre Gasly laid flowers at the red barrier at Spa-Francorchamps on July 16, 2026, during preview days ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

Q: Who was Anthoine Hubert?
Anthoine Hubert was Pierre Gasly’s childhood friend and karting teammate who died in the Formula 2 feature race at Spa-Francorchamps in August 2019.

Q: What did Formula 1’s official account share about the 2026 tribute?
Formula 1’s official account shared photos of drivers gathered together on track in matching navy T-shirts with a star logo, along with an image of a young karter holding an orange helmet.

Q: Why does the tribute happen at Spa-Francorchamps specifically?
Spa-Francorchamps is the circuit where Anthoine Hubert died during the Formula 2 feature race in August 2019, and it is where the red barrier tribute point is located.

Q: Has Pierre Gasly honored Anthoine Hubert every year since 2019?
Yes, Pierre Gasly has returned to Spa-Francorchamps to honor Anthoine Hubert each year since his death in August 2019, with the July 2026 visit marking roughly seven years since that loss.