Kubica success is a story of human triumph

Robert Kubica was set to race for Ferrari’s F1 team, only for a horrific crash to dash that dream, but 14 years later he has defied the odds to win the biggest race with the “Prancing Horse.”
Kubica has already achieved a lot on his storied career, but secured the legacy piece on Sunday by winning the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours with Philip Hanson and Ye Yifel.
They denied Australia’s Matt Campbell victory by just 14s to become the first privateer entry to win Le Mans outright in two decades.
But that is just the start of a remarkable journey to glory for Kubica.
Rewind the clock 15 years and the Polish driver was one of the hottest properties in Formula 1.
Having taken a special victory at Canada in 2008, just one year after his horrific crash at the same venue, he was a regular on the podium at the forefront of BMW Sauber’s rise to becoming a fighter against the heavyweights of Ferrari and McLaren.
In 2010 he moved to Renault and carried on the momentum, pushing up his podium tally to 12 and jumping onto Ferrari’s radar.
Ahead of the 2011 season, it is believed Kubica signed a contract with Ferrari to replace Felipe Massa the following year.
But then in February 6 2011, Kubica’s life was suddenly hanging by a thread when he experienced a horrifying crash in the Ronde di Andora Rally where the crash barrier penetrated the car’s cockpit and even struck him.

Robert Kubica being cared for after his horrible rally crash. Image: Fox Motorsport
After a high-speed impact that left him trapped upside down, rescue workers took more than an hour to extract him before his serious injuries were treated by three lengthy operations.
Despite suffering a partial amputation in his right forearm, Kubica was more determined than ever, and within 18 months, he was back behind the wheel, winning a minor rally in Italy.
He forged a rallying career over the following years and even made it to the heights of WRC before a fairytale return to Formula 1 with Williams in 2019.
Despite all of this, his biggest win on the track arrived last weekend when he helped the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P beat the factory stars and win at Le Mans.
Having written his name into the Le Mans history books following his heroic recovery earlier in his career, Kubica has quite a story of human triumph.
“What happened was very unfortunate, but I was very lucky,” he said after Sunday’s victory.
“It took me quite a few years, not only to recover physically but also mentally.
“What happened happened and I have to accept it.
“One of the worst periods of my life was when my mind wouldn’t accept the fact that my arm was failing.”

The semi-factory privateer 499P took out a third straight Le Mans for Fearrari. image: Getty
Just like he has done throughout his whole career, Kubica continued defying the odds during the Le Mans 24 Hours.
For almost half of the race, 166 of the 387 laps to be precise, the Polish star was behind the wheel of the #83.
The most demanding was a marathon quintuple stint to the flag, where Kubica sealed the victory against the favoured factory entrants.
Things were not running smoothly in the cockpit either, with gearbox gremlins occurring throughout.
“It was bad all the 24 hours,” said Kubica. “Unfortunately, it has happened when we fit the race gearbox.
“We thought this is something related with the settings, but it was not, so it was a tough one, especially in some particular corners.
“It was really, really on the edge and adding another stress.

Ferrari customer car leading the Le Mans 24 at dawn. Image: getty Images
“We managed – we tried to help with the driving style with brake shapes and stuff like this, but in the end it was just covering the issue, not curing it.”
But having been through so much, nothing was going to stop Kubica from winning the biggest race.
“Winning Le Mans is a special feeling,” he said.
“Since the 2021 edition, when I lost the victory due to a technical problem on the last lap, I fell in love with this race, which reawakened feelings I hadn’t felt since my karting days.
“Now I’m very excited, full of adrenaline but physically tired at the same time.”
Image: AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez
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