While all sorts of drama was playing out at the Canadian Grand Prix, another fascinating motorsport story had unfolded over at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with former F1 driver Robert Kubica taking his debut win in the famous endurance race.
The Pole – alongside team mates Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye – drove the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P LMH to victory, spending 43% of the race at the wheel as well as completing the final 59 laps without a functioning drinks bottle.
It marks the latest achievement in a rollercoaster journey for Kubica, whose career has witnessed many dramatic highs and lows over the years. We’ve been taking a look back at the 40-year-old’s path to Le Mans glory…
Early promise
After acting as a reserve driver for the BMW Sauber team in 2006, Kubica’s debut arrived when he stepped in to replace Jacques Villeneuve at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Canadian having suffered an accident one week earlier at Hockenheim.
It proved to be an eye-catching first race weekend for the then 21-year-old, who lined up in ninth on the grid – outqualifying team mate Nick Heidfeld – before ending the Grand Prix in seventh. While he was later disqualified due to his car being found to be underweight, Kubica had done enough to make an impression and completed the rest of the campaign for the team.
In only his third Formula 1 race, Kubica claimed his maiden podium with a P3 result at Monza; having already made history as the first Polish driver in the sport, this earned him the additional accolade of being the first Pole to stand on the rostrum.
Kubica remained with the squad for 2007 and, while it proved to be a decent year for the team, he was outscored by Heidfeld, who also grabbed the outfit’s two podiums that season. A low point for the Pole came at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he suffered a horrifying crash that saw his car hit a concrete wall before skating across the track and arriving on its side at the barrier.
As a precaution, Kubica missed the following race in Indianapolis – where a certain Sebastian Vettel stepped in for his F1 debut – before returning to action at the next event. And while the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve was the scene of one of his toughest moments in 2007, the picture would look very different one year on…
F1 win and rumoured Ferrari future
The 2008 campaign got off to a strong start for Kubica, who sealed his debut pole position at Round 3 in Bahrain as well as collecting three podiums during the opening six races.
But better was to come at the seventh Grand Prix of the season in Canada, where – 12 months on from his horror crash at the same venue – Kubica clinched a fairytale victory from second on the grid, a result that also put him in the lead of the championship.
The future looked bright for the new race winner from there on and, while his title bid faded – and more challenging seasons followed in 2009 and 2010 for BMW Sauber and Renault respectively – it was speculated that Kubica was set to join Ferrari in 2012.
However, the rising star’s already eventful journey was set to take another twist before that could happen…
Rallying accident halts ascent
In February 2011, Kubica was participating in the Ronde di Andora rally in Spain when he suffered a horrifying crash. After his car hit a barrier at high speed, an Armco barrier penetrated the cockpit and partially severed the Pole’s right forearm.
The operation to extricate Kubica from the vehicle took rescuers over an hour and, such was the severity of his injuries – which also included fractures to his shoulder and leg – he was forced to sit out the 2011 F1 campaign, having been due to race for Renault again.
As he continued his recovery, Kubica’s future in motorsport remained unclear. But the Polish driver’s remarkable comeback began in 2013 when he returned to rallying, before also going on to race in sportscars.
After several years away from Formula 1, a return to the grid may have perhaps seemed farfetched – but, against the odds, that proved to be the next step for Kubica.
Remarkable F1 comeback
In the summer of 2017, Kubica got back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time as he participated in a test for Renault in Valencia, which was soon followed by a second session at France’s Paul Ricard and a third in Hungary.
This gave the Pole a chance to assess whether a full-time return would be feasible, having been left with limited movement in his right arm from his rallying accident – and the signs appeared promising when he completed a one-day test for Williams at Silverstone in October, heightening speculation that he was in contention for a seat in 2018.
The dream looked to be moving closer to reality when Kubica again drove for the Grove-based outfit during an end-of-season test in Abu Dhabi, this time participating alongside Lance Stroll – confirmed to race for the team in 2018 – and Sergey Sirotkin.
It was ultimately Sirotkin who was awarded a place on the grid, with Kubica instead becoming a reserve and development driver for the team. But as he continued to work hard in the 12 months that followed, the news came at the end of the year that the one-time race winner would make his full-time comeback with Williams in 2019, partnering the rookie George Russell.
“It has been a challenging journey to make it back to the Formula 1 grid, but what seemed almost impossible is now beginning to feel possible, as I am excited to be able to say that I will be on the Formula 1 grid in 2019,” Kubica said at the time of the announcement.
Tough return with Williams
Ahead of his highly-anticipated return, Kubica acknowledged that – while getting back to F1 had been “one of the greatest achievements” of his life – he knew that the challenge would “not be easy”.
And so this proved to be the case, as his return coincided with a particularly tough period for Williams. The signs appeared ominous when the squad failed to have their car ready in time for the opening day of pre-season testing, eventually joining the action halfway through the penultimate day.
Things did not improve greatly from there, with Kubica and Russell generally finding themselves languishing near the back of the grid throughout the year. The young Russell also seemed more able to get extra pace from the car, outqualifying his team mate at every round of the campaign.
Kubica’s best result came courtesy of a sole point in the German Grand Prix in July – and, in September, he announced that he had decided to part ways with Williams in 2020, bringing his fairytale F1 return to an end after one season.
“Being back in Formula 1 after a long time is not easy, and especially when you’re in a difficult situation like we are,” Kubica conceded. “But still, nevertheless, I have to thank the team for the opportunity and we’ll see what the future will bring.”
A winner again at Le Mans
Kubica was not entirely done with Formula 1, going on to join Alfa Romeo as a reserve driver in 2020 before stepping in for a Covid-positive Kimi Raikkonen during the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix in 2021.
But the Pole had also began to pursue other ventures, most notably endurance racing. This brought early success in the European Le Mans series, where his Team WRT squad claimed victory in the 2021 LMP2 class.
After leaving his role with Alfa Romeo at the end of 2022, Kubica triumphed in the World Endurance Championship LMP2 category in 2023 before another success came via a second European Le Mans LMP2 win in 2024.
Kubica has been racing for AF Corse in the 2025 World Endurance Championship Hyperclass category and, after achieving a podium at the first event of the campaign in Qatar, his story brought another high when he achieved a milestone win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, making him the first Polish driver to triumph in the famous race.
It was a victory that earned plaudits from across the world of motorsport, with the likes of Fernando Alonso – a fellow Le Mans winner – and former team mate Russell congratulating the former F1 driver.
The result has put Kubica and fellow AF Corse racers Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye in second place of the championship standings with four rounds remaining – and, with so many dramatic highs and lows across his career so far, it will be intriguing to see what happens next for Kubica…
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