Robert Kubica’s Ferrari story expands a much longer way than his current World Endurance Championship stint suggests.
The Pole had signed a deal to race to the famous Scuderia in Formula 1 in 2012, but it never materialised after a life-changing shunt in the 2011 Rally de Andorra.
He did make a spectacular return to the pinnacle of motorsport, racing for Williams alongside George Russell and even claiming the team’s only point that year at Hockenheim, but sadly, he never returned beyond that stage but for a few tests.
This weekend at the World Endurance Championship‘s Lone Star Le Mans, he finally earned the opportunity to clamber onto the top step of a motorsport podium for the team from Maranello.
Robert Kubica becomes the third driver in modern WEC history to achieve racing feat
Few drivers have raced in both Formula 1 and WEC, and even fewer have won a race in both categories.
Just two men had achieved this feat in modern WEC history (post-2012), and Kubica joined them after a fantastic COTA performance alongside teammates Robert Shwartzman and Yifei Ye.
Fernando Alonso won five races for Toyota between 2018 and 2019, while Mark Webber also won eight races for Porsche across 2015 and 2016.
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Kubica lifts himself to ninth in the drivers’ standings after claiming victory by just two seconds ahead of the Toyota trio of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries after a penalty.
The number 51 Ferrari entry of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen also joined them on the podium with third.
How Kubica’s Ferrari journey came full circle in Texas
Kubica has spoken before of a 2012 deal he signed with Ferrari and then boss Stefano Domenicali (Formula 1’s current CEO).
An agreement to leave Renault and earn less money with the Italian outfit was in place, as he was set to partner Fernando Alonso.
While it ultimately never happened, that car came very close to winning the championship that year, and who knows what Kubica would’ve been capable of doing in it.
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But after signing a deal with Ferrari to race for them in WEC back in November 2023, he finally received the opportunity to race for them, albeit in yellow – with the other Hypercar running in red.
There are just two events remaining this season, so it remains to be seen whether he can become a repeat winner, but as his talent has evidenced many times – he is one of the most special drivers to have graced the tarmac in either sport (even Lewis Hamilton agrees).