Robert Kubica, the only Polish driver who competed in Formula One, has not only a rare amount of talent but also an amazing fighting spirit. After facing a huge setback, Kubica refused to give up on his dreams.



It did not take long for him to show his passion for racing: at four years old his father bought him a small car after having noticed his interest. Soon this was not enough and Robert dived into karting. In Poland, he won six titles in three seasons, which meant he had to go a level above: to the famous Italian Junior Karting championship. By 1998, he became the first non-Italian driver to win this competition.



In the next couple of years, he took part in both the European and the World Karting Championship, having raced Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in this process. A strong generation indeed. Having finished in 4th position in both championships in 2000, Kubica took the next obvious step — open-wheel car racing.



In 2001 and 2002, he took part in the Formula Renault 2000 European and Italian championships. Then, he moved up to the Formula 3 Euro Series for the next two seasons. Robert Kubica grabbed 2nd place in the historical Macau Grand Prix.



In the following season, he joined the Formula Renault 3.5 World Series and won the title. Achieving a title at the first try means talent. Hence, he convinced Renault to offer him tests in its Formula One car.



For 2006, BMW Sauber F1 team elected Kubica as their official test driver. This is it. Uncharted territory. Robert had just become the first Polish F1 driver. Besides, he achieved the dream shared by many young drivers: to be amongst the fastest drivers in the world whilst driving the fastest cars in the world.



Kubica replaced Jacques Villeneuve for the last 6 races of the season. In only his third race he achieved a podium in Monza, the fastest circuit on the calendar. That quickly proved his talent. As he was in a midfield team which only scored two podiums for the whole 2006 season, that is not bad. Not bad at all.



The following season Robert showed great consistency by scoring points in most of the races. That year was stained by a terrible high-speed crash from which, fortunately, Kubica came out without severe injuries. He still missed the next race for precaution because of a slight concussion.



Since he did not beat his teammate in 2007, he had a chip on his shoulder to prove his talent. That is the ballgame in motorsport. Your teammate is the benchmark. The first person everyone will compare you to. The first rival you desperately want to outperform.



Robert did not shy away from the headlines in 2008. He took his first pole-position ever, his first win, and achieved seven podiums throughout the year, culminating in a 4th place in the overall standings, tied in points with 3rd placed Kimi Raikkonen. History was made, and Kubica was to be taken seriously in Formula One.



Even though BMW Sauber would stop developing their 2008 car mid-season to focus on their next campaign, 2009 turned out to be disastrous. The Polish driver was actually publicly critical of this decision in 2008. As a team, BMW Sauber scored less than half the points they scored in each of the last two seasons. And Kubica finished 14th overall.



That tough season prompted him to move to the Renault team. Despite this being another midfield team, he still got 3 podiums, two of them in tracks where usually top drivers stand out: Spa-Francorchamps and Monaco. He also impressed in Suzuka, however, he was unlucky on race day. After jumping to 2nd place in the start, he lost a wheel and had to retire.



Alan Permane, Renault Sporting Director, who previously worked with Alonso and Michael Schumacher said: “Suzuka qualifying in 2010 was a lap like I’ve never seen from anyone else, ever.” That must not be a usual compliment.



Just as pre-season testing was promising a better campaign, Kubica’s career took a huge blow. A frightful rally crash in Andorra turned his life around. An Armco barrier penetrated the car and hit him, leaving him with heavy injuries. His forearm was partially amputated, and he had compound fractures in his right elbow, shoulder and leg. Moreover, he had a serious blood loss.



He was forced to miss the 2011 season. By November 2011 it was known he would not participate in F1 in 2012. However, in the latter stages of 2012, he was already back racing in rally with the necessary adaptations to his car.



The following year, Robert Kubica competed in the World Rally Championship (WRC) and in the WRC2, winning the title of the second tier. He continued to compete in rallying and other events for a few years while still recovering.

Kubica rallying in 2014

Only in 2017 did he start to make noticeable steps towards a challenging return to Formula 1. The Polish driver took a few tests with Renault. At first with the 2012-spec car and then with the 2017-spec car. His test result created expectations of a place within the French team, nevertheless, it did not happen.



Furthermore, Kubica tested twice with Williams in October. It was then believed this was his last and only chance to make a comeback. He was one of the strongest contenders for a seat at the British team alongside Sergey Sirotkin. In the end, Sirotkin grabbed the place, which left Kubica as the Williams test driver for 2018.



It seemed as if his career as a race driver in Formula One saw the checkered flag. “What a comeback it would have been” — those were the thoughts on peoples’ minds.



Nonetheless, Robert continued working hard in testing. He kept giving great technical feedback. After a series of events involving Sirotkin’s performances and Lance Stroll’s move to Force India, Kubica finally made his long due comeback in 2019. At last. The fact that he is well-liked within the team surely helped that decision.

Williams was in chaos by 2019. They missed the first tests for not being on time with car development. They were making headlines due to how bad their situation was. Performance-wise it was a season to forget. Generally, both cars were off the top 15 places.



Still, Robert Kubica picked up the only point for Williams in the crazy Hockenheim race. George Russell, his rookie teammate, beat him regularly throughout the season. Despite all the poor circumstances, Robert made his return to Formula One and “closed a chapter” as he said. Besides, he surmounted huge stumbling blocks along the way.



After all, even Lewis Hamilton, the 6-time F1 champion said: “He’s one of the best drivers I’ve driven against.” People in the paddock were certainly happy for his return. So were the fans. Kubica’s story is undoubtedly an inspiration for anyone facing adversity.

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