Robert Kubica

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Between 2006 and 2009, Kubica drove for BMW Sauber, having been promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006. In June 2008, he took his maiden and only Formula One victory at the Canadian Grand Prix, which was also the only win for the Sauber team. That season, he led the championship at one stage, before finishing fourth overall, his best career position. He drove for Renault in 2010 and was set to remain with the team in 2011. On 6 February 2011, Kubica was seriously injured in a crash at the Ronde di Andora rally, in which he suffered partial amputation to his forearm, and fractures on his right elbow, shoulder, and leg. He told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport in a bedside interview that he could feel the fingers in his right hand and was determined to make a swift return to Formula One in 2011. Following his return to good health, he said that a return to Formula One would be 'nearly impossible' because of his injury. Several years later, he said that he had signed a pre-contract for the 2012 season with Ferrari, a move that was eventually ruled out by his crash injuries. Kubica returned to racing in September 2012, winning a minor rally in Italy. He was named one of 'The Men of the Year 2012' by Top Gear magazine for his return to auto racing. In 2013, he drove for Citroën in the European and WRC2 Championships. He went on to win the inaugural WRC-2 title, and moved to the WRC championship full-time in 2014, driving a Ford Fiesta RS WRC prepared by M-Sport. Kubica later took part in Formula 1 tests with Renault and Williams, saying that a Formula One return in the near future was not impossible. On 16 January 2018, he was announced as the reserve driver of Williams for the 2018 season. On 22 November 2018, Kubica was announced as a Williams race driver for the 2019 Formula One season. He left the Williams team at the end of 2019, moving across to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, while maintaining a Formula One presence as reserve and test driver for Alfa Romeo. He has made several appearances during practice sessions in his role as test driver, including pre-season testing in 2020, and he replaced Kimi Räikkönen at the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix in 2021.

In Their Own Story

The defining moment of Kubica's early career occurred at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. With teammate Jacques Villeneuve deemed unfit following headaches from an accident, Kubica was chosen to replace him. He qualified ninth, beating experienced Nick Heidfeld, and finished seventh before a disqualification for an underweight car. Just weeks later, at the Italian Grand Prix, he secured third place, becoming the first Polish driver to stand on a Formula One podium and lead a Grand Prix. In 2007, disaster struck during the Canadian Grand Prix when his BMW Sauber clipped Jarno Trulli's Toyota, hit a grass hump, and slammed into the concrete retaining wall at 300.13 km/h (186.49 mph). The car rolled and came to rest on its side, exposing Kubica's feet. Data showed he endured a peak G-force of 75 G. Miraculously, he was conscious, suffering only a light concussion and sprained ankle, missing the US Grand Prix as a precaution before returning to finish fourth in France.

Reader's Guide

Kubica began karting at age ten, winning six Polish Karting Championship titles in three years. In 1998, he became the first foreigner to win the International Italian Junior Karting Championship. He also scored second place in the European Junior Karting Championship and won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup. In 2000, his last karting season, he scored fourth places in both the European and World Championships. He started his professional career in 2000 as a test driver for Formula Renault 2000, winning four races in 2002 in the Italian Formula Renault 2000 and finishing seventh in the Formula Renault Eurocup. He moved to the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2003, winning his delayed debut at Norisring driving with a plastic brace and eighteen titanium bolts in his arm. He finished the season 12th. In 2004, he ended his second F3 season in seventh position with the factory Mercedes team, and scored pole position in the Macau F3 Grand Prix, breaking the lap record, but finished second. In 2005, he won the World Series by Renault championship with Epsilon Euskadi, earning Formula One tests with Renault. He became BMW Sauber's reserve driver in 2006, replacing Jacques Villeneuve at the Hungarian Grand Prix after Villeneuve was deemed unfit to race. Kubica qualified ninth but was disqualified for an underweight car. In his third race, the Italian Grand Prix, he finished third, becoming the first Polish driver on a Formula One podium and the first to lead a Grand Prix. In 2007, he had a serious crash at the Canadian Grand Prix, hitting a barrier at 300.13 km/h (186.49 mph) at a 75-degree angle, subjected to a peak G-force of 75 G. He was conscious and talking after the crash.

Did You Know?

• Kubica is the only Polish driver to compete in Formula One.
• He won the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, which remains the only win for the Sauber team.
• He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2025 with AF Corse.
• He won the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 class with WRT.
• He was named one of 'The Men of the Year 2012' by Top Gear magazine.