Between 2006 and 2009, Kubica drove for BMW Sauber, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006. In June 2008, Kubica took his maiden and only Formula One victory at theCanadian 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. Kubica drove forRenault in2010 and was set to remain with the team in2011.
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.[1] He was taking part to better his skills.[2] Kubica told Italian newspaperLa 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.[3][4] Since his return to good health, he initially stated that a return to Formula One would be "nearly impossible" because of his injury.[1][5] Several years later, Kubica confirmed he had signed a pre-contract for the2012 season withFerrari, a move that was eventually cancelled by his devastating rally crash in early 2011.[6]
Kubica returned to racing in September 2012, winning a minor rally in Italy.[7][8] Kubica was named one of "The Men of the Year 2012" byTop Gear magazine for his return to auto racing. In 2013, he drove forCitroën in theEuropean andWRC2 Championships.[9][10] He went on to win the inaugural WRC-2 title, and moved to the WRC championship full-time in2014, driving aFord Fiesta RS WRC prepared byM-Sport.[11]
Kubica later took part in Formula 1 tests with Renault and Williams, admitting that a Formula One return in the near future was not impossible.[12] On 16 January 2018, it was announced that Kubica would become the reserve driver of Williams for the 2018 season.[13] On 22 November 2018, Kubica was announced as aWilliams race driver for the2019 Formula One season.[14] He left the Williams team at the end of 2019, moving across to theDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters,[15] while maintaining a Formula One presence as reserve and test driver forAlfa Romeo. He has made several appearances during practice sessions in his role as test driver, includingpre-season testing in2020, and he replacedKimi Räikkönen at theDutch andItalian Grands Prix in2021.
Kubica developed his love for all kinds of cars at the young age of four when he spotted a smalloff-road vehicle, powered by a 4 bhp (3.0 kW)petrol engine. After long talks with his parents, his father Artur bought him the car and young Kubica spent long hours driving around plastic bottles. When he got older it became apparent that he needed better equipment, so his father bought him ago-kart. However, Kubica was too young to start racing in the Polish Karting Championship as he was under the age of ten. When he entered the championship, he won six titles in three years. After his third season, Kubica decided to switch to a more competitive series in Italy. In 1998 Kubica became the first foreigner to win the International Italian Junior Karting Championship.
Kubica also scored second place in the European Junior Karting Championship and won theJunior Monaco Kart Cup held on part of theFormula One Grand Prixtrack. A year later, he defended his title in Italy and also competed in theInternational German Karting Championship. He also won the Monaco Kart Cup for the second time in a row, as well as the Margutti Trophy and Elf Masters races. In 2000, his last season in karting, Kubica scored fourth places in both the European andWorld Championships.
Kubica started his professional career in 2000, as atest driver for aFormula Renault 2000 car. During his first professional season in Formula Renault, Kubica scored his maiden pole position and also became a member ofRenault's driver development programme. In 2002 Kubica won four races and scored a second place in the Italian Formula Renault 2000. He was also seventh in the Formula Renault Eurocup. At the end of the year he took part in a Brazilian Formula Renault 2000 race held at theInterlagos circuit. This one-off appearance resulted in a dominant win.
After Formula Renault, Kubica moved to theFormula 3 Euro Series. However, his move was delayed by a road accident which left him with a broken arm, and titanium screws holding it together. At his delayed debut atNorisring, Kubica, driving with a plastic brace and 18 titanium bolts in his arm, won the race. He finished the season in 12th place. At the end of the year, Kubica won a street race in Sardinia and came fifth in races held in Macau and Korea. He ended his second season in the Formula 3 Euro Series, spent with the factory Mercedes team, in 7th position. In November 2004, he scored pole position in the Macau F3 Grand Prix, where he broke the lap record, but finished second in the race.
In2006, Kubica became the official reserve driver for theBMW Sauber Formula One team.[19] His results in both Friday testing and private test sessions, along with the words of BMW Sauber team principalMario Theissen, led to speculation that he would become Poland's first ever Formula One racing driver in2007. In August 2006, Kubica's teammate,Jacques Villeneuve, complained about headaches after his accident during theGerman Grand Prix; he was deemed unfit to race by the team, against his own belief, and Kubica was chosen by the team management to replace him at theHungarian Grand Prix.[20] Kubica qualified ninth, beating his more experienced teammateNick Heidfeld. In the race, he finished in seventh place, but was disqualified after the race for having an underweight car.[21] Villeneuve decided to leave the BMW Sauber team soon after the race,[22] and Kubica's position in the team for the remainder of the season was confirmed by BMW.[23]
Kubica had a disappointing race at theTurkish Grand Prix, finishing in 12th place after a mistake in tyre choice. Heidfeld, who was delayed in a first-corner accident, placed behind Kubica. In his third race, theItalian Grand Prix, Kubica finished in third position, and became the first Polish driver to appear on a Formula Onepodium, as well as the first Polish driver to lead a Grand Prix. He was the first driver sinceAlexander Wurz in1997 to finish on the podium within his first three Formula One starts.
InChina, he finished 13th, again after a mistake in tyre choice. After going off track at the first turn of the race, he moved from 17th position to fifth, before pitting. He was the first to change fromintermediate tyres to dry tyres after the wet track started to dry. This decision was made too early: a very slow next lap in extremely wet and slippery conditions and anotherpit stop to change back to intermediates cost him his place in the points.
Kubica performed well during the2007 season, finishing consistently in point scoring positions. At theCanadian Grand Prix Kubica had a serious crash approaching the hairpin on lap 27, in which his car made contact withJarno Trulli'sToyota, and hit a hump in the grass which lifted the car's nose into the air and left him unable to brake or steer. The car then hit the concrete retaining wall and rolled as it came back across the track, striking the opposite wall on the outside of the hairpin and coming to rest on its side.[24] The car was heavily damaged and Kubica's feet could be seen exposed through the destroyed nose of the car.[25] The speed measured when his car clipped the barrier was 300.13 km/h (186.49 mph), at a 75-degree angle, subjecting Kubica to an average deceleration of 28 g. After data from the onboard accident data recorder had been analysed it was found that he had been subjected to a peak G-force of 75 G.[26] Undersafety car conditions, Kubica was removed from the car and taken to the circuit's medical centre, where he was announced to be in "stable" condition. Shortly afterwards, his manager Daniele Morelli said Kubica was conscious and talking.[27] It was initially reported that Kubica could have a broken leg.[28] However, Mario Theissen later confirmed that he was not seriously injured.[29][30]
Further reports from late evening on race day, directly from the hospital, confirmed that Kubica had suffered a light concussion alongside a sprained ankle. After being kept in overnight for observation, Kubica left hospital the following day.[31] On 14 June it was announced that as a precaution, Kubica would not race at theUnited States Grand Prix and would be replaced by test driverSebastian Vettel.[32] After missing Indianapolis, he returned for theFrench Grand Prix where he qualified and finished in fourth place, receivingITV broadcasterMartin Brundle's driver of the day award. He then went on to finish fourth again at theBritish Grand Prix.
Kubica's retention as race driver for2008 was confirmed on 21 August 2007.[33] Over the first half of the season, Kubica qualified and finished strongly, including his and BMW Sauber's first pole position at theBahrain Grand Prix and second-place finishes at theMalaysian andMonaco Grands Prix.
On 8 June 2008 at theCanadian Grand Prix, Kubica achieved his first Formula 1 victory. He started second on the grid and passed race leaderLewis Hamilton in the first round of pitstops after the BMW Sauber pit crew completed a faster pitstop. On leaving the pits, Kubica andKimi Räikkönen'sFerrari halted at the pit lane exit, waiting for the red pit exit light to change. Hamilton, running immediately behind them, missed the light and crashed into Räikkönen's Ferrari, eliminating both cars from the race. Kubica rejoined the race well positioned for the eventual victory. He passed Heidfeld's sister BMW Sauber, running one refuelling stop to Kubica's two stop strategy, and gained the necessary 24 seconds over Heidfeld to ensure that he maintained the lead after his second stop 22 laps later. The BMW Saubers remained first and second to the end of the race.[34] Kubica later joked that he should thank Hamilton for electing to crash into Räikkönen instead of him.[35] The win gave Kubica the lead in the Drivers' Championship.
BMW Sauber's results were weaker over the second half of the season. At theFrench Grand Prix atMagny-Cours, Kubica finished 5th, reporting that this was a lost race, complaining about aerodynamic problems with the car.[citation needed] Kubica's strongest result of the latter part of the year was inJapan where he qualified sixth. At the start, several drivers braked too late for the first corner. Kubica took an inside line overtaking several cars and emerged in the lead. He led for 16 laps, but lost his lead toFernando Alonso at the first round of pit stops. Kubica finished second after defending his position towards the end of the race against Räikkönen in a faster Ferrari (his fastest race lap was 0.6 seconds quicker than the Pole's)[36][37] Apart from that, Kubica achieved podiums in a race inValencia and in the rain affected race atMonza. Kubica finished the year fourth in the Drivers' Championship.
At the2009 season opener inMelbourne, Kubica qualified fourth on the grid. During the race, he was in third place and closing the gap to the front two cars before making contact withSebastian Vettel while trying to overtake him. After the incident, Kubica continued briefly, but crashed into a wall at the next corner because his front wing had become stuck under the car.[38] Vettel was later deemed responsible for the accident, and given a 10-place penalty on the grid for the next race in Malaysia.[39] BMW motorsport directorMario Theissen stated that Kubica would have won the race ahead ofJenson Button had it not been for Vettel.[40]
At theMalaysian Grand Prix, Kubica qualified in eighth place, but was promoted to sixth following Vettel's ten-place grid penalty for causing the crash in Australia, andRubens Barrichello's five-place grid drop for changing his gearbox. However, he retired very early in the race with engine problems. The next two races, theChinese Grand Prix and theBahrain Grand Prix were disappointing for the BMW Sauber team as both Kubica and his teammate Heidfeld finished outside the points with a non-competitive car.
For the next race inBarcelona, BMW Sauber prepared a modified version of the F1.09. The car proved more competitive but a mistake in fitting the tyres to Kubica's car during Q3 meant he could only qualify in 10th position. In the race, after a bad start (due to a clutch issue)[41] he finished once more out of the points. Kubica had an engine failure during second practice inMonaco, and retired from the Grand Prix due to a brake issue. At theTurkish Grand Prix, the team introduced the double diffuser. The car's performance improved and Kubica managed to score his first points of the season with a 7th place. In the next 3 races both BMW Sauber drivers finished outside the points again, but during theEuropean andBelgian Grands Prix again proved to be competitive, scoring 8th and 4th positions respectively. InItaly, Kubica had engine trouble in qualifying and then retired from the race due to an oil leak. At theSingapore Grand Prix, Kubica finished 8th, defending his position fromKazuki Nakajima and Räikkönen in the last laps. He later stated it was "the most difficult point I have ever scored".[42][43] At theBrazilian Grand Prix, Kubica scored his first podium of the season despite engine temperature problems by finishing in 2nd place, 7.6 seconds behind winner Mark Webber. The podium was BMW's second of the season.
On 29 July 2009, BMW announced that they would leave Formula One at the end of 2009, which made Kubica a free agent for the2010 season.[44][45] For the 2010 season, it was announced that he had signed forRenault F1, the team he tested for during his junior career.[46]
Kubica moved to theRenault team for2010. His position was briefly put in doubt, however, by the team evaluating its future in the sport following the 2009 season in the wake of the "Crashgate" scandal and the parent company's financial problems. This resulted in aLuxembourg-based investment firm,Genii Capital, taking a 75% stake in the team; Renault retained the remaining 25%.[47]Eric Boullier was also appointed as the new team manager. Kubica said he might not stay with Renault, as his contract was only valid if the parent company had a controlling stake in the team, but he then decided to remain with them.[48][49] On 31 January 2010, it was announced thatVitaly Petrov was to be Kubica's teammate.
It was reported inAutosport thatFerrari driverFelipe Massa had until the2010 British Grand Prix to prove to the Maranello outfit that he was worth hanging onto: if not, Kubica would take his seat in2011.[50] However, Ferrari re-signed Massa for 2011, leaving Kubica without a drive at the Italian team.
On 7 July 2010, it was confirmed that Kubica had extended his contract with Renault to 2012.[51]
Kubica scored both his and the team's best result of the year with second place at theAustralian Grand Prix.
At the opening race of the2010 season inBahrain, Kubica was tagged byAdrian Sutil and spun on the opening lap but recovered to 11th. At the next race inAustralia, he finished second after starting in ninth position. Fourth inMalaysia and fifth inChina left him in seventh place in the Drivers' Championship, 20 points behind championship leaderJenson Button. Kubica felt that had there not been a secondsafety car period in China he could have finished on the podium. InSpain he finished eighth, but followed this up with another podium inMonaco, holding third throughout after losing second at the start toSebastian Vettel. At theTurkish Grand Prix, he was held up behindNico Rosberg for the second time in the season after Malaysia, and finished sixth.
InCanada, Kubica finished seventh after an eventful race and problems with tyre degradation which made his race difficult,[52] but did set the first fastest lap of his career in the race's closing stages. He added a fifth inValencia and seventh inGermany before taking his third podium of the season inBelgium. He was competitive throughout the weekend, qualifying third, and only a bungled pitstop cost him second toMark Webber. InSingapore, he qualified eighth in front of Schumacher. During the late stages of the race, he was forced to pit from sixth place due to a puncture. He was released from the pits to twelfth place, but with the help from superior grip and a series of overtaking moves—his move against Sutil was favourably compared to the incident between Webber and Hamilton—was able to claim seventh place, ultimately gaining a place from his qualifying result. InSuzuka, he managed to trail the Red Bulls throughout the weekend and translated it into a strong third place in qualifying. However, despite getting a good start and overtaking Webber at the start of the race, but would retire during the safety car period after losing one of his rear tyres.
Formula One journalistMark Hughes remarked that Kubica was currently "arguably the best driver", considering the season so far. He emphasised Kubica's strong showing in tracks where Hughes believed that the differences in driver skills are able to overwhelm the differences in the capability of the cars; namely, Monaco, Spa and Suzuka.[53] Kubica managed to finish on the podium behind the Red Bulls except in Suzuka where he was strong throughout the weekend nevertheless, despite retiring from the race through no fault of his own.
Kubica testing the R31 on Wednesday 2 February – days before his near-fatal rally crash
Kubica was retained by Renault – rebranded as Lotus Renault GP throughLotus Cars sponsorship – into the2011 season, again partnered with Petrov.[54] He tested the team's new car, theRenault R31, for the first time inValencia on 2 February.[54] On the last day of testing in Valencia he set the fastest time of the session.[55] Three days later, he was seriously injured ina rallying accident inAndorra.
As Kubica was unable to start the season following his accident, Lotus Renault signed his formerBMW Sauber teammateNick Heidfeld as his replacement on 16 February, while Kubica still remained signed with the team for the 2011 season.[56]Bruno Senna replaced Heidfeld later in the season, at theBelgian Grand Prix. Kubica was released from hospital to begin his rehabilitation on 24 April 2011.[57] In November 2011 it was announced that Kubica would not be ready for the beginning of the2012 season, forcing Renault (who at this point had changed their name to Lotus) to begin the season with two other drivers,Kimi Räikkönen andRomain Grosjean.[58] In an interview in 2018 Kubica revealed that he had signed forFerrari for the2012 season.[59]
On 6 February 2011, Kubica was injured in a crash on the first stage of the Ronde di Andora rally. He was driving aSuper 2000-specificationŠkoda Fabia[60] inTestico when his car left the road at high speed and hit a crash barrier,[61] near the church of San Sebastiano.[62][63] Kubica was trapped in the car for more than an hour before rescue workers were able to extricate him.[64] He was flown by helicopter to Santa Corona Hospital inPietra Ligure[65] nearSavona, where it was confirmed that he had a partial amputation of his forearm,compound fractures to his right elbow, shoulder and leg, as well as significant loss of blood.[64][66][67] The severity of his injuries was the result of the crash barrier penetrating the car's cockpit, and hitting Kubica, while leaving his co-driver unscathed. Kubica underwent a seven-hour operation by seven doctors split into two teams, without complications.[64] Two more lengthy operations to repair fractures to his leg, shoulder and arm were performed successfully a few days later.[68][69] The condition of his hand was not clear for some time and as a result he missed the 2011 season.[70][71][72]
Kubica's recovery was dealt another setback after he re-broke his right leg, when he reportedly slipped on ice near his home in Italy, on 11 January 2012.[58] He remained out of competitive racing for most of 2012,[73] but returned to compete in the Ronde Gomitolo Di Lana in a WRC car on 9 September. He won the rally, finishing one minute ahead of the second placed driver.[7]
In 2013, Kubica continued his return, focusing on rallying. He drove forCitroën in theEuropean andWRC2 Championships.[9][10] His first event was theRally de Portugal, in which he was competitive, but crashed and issues with his car led to him finishing in 6th. Then, at theAcropolis Rally, Kubica won, finishing nearly 90 seconds ahead of second placedYuriy Protasov. He repeated this success at theRally d'Italia winning ahead ofAbdulaziz Al-Kuwari by 4 minutes. At the2013 Rally Finland Kubica lost toJari Ketomaa by nearly 90 seconds. TheRallye Deutschland was a big success. Not only did the Pole win ahead ofElfyn Evans by 12.9 seconds, he became the leader of theWRC2 Championship. He re-gained this position (Al-Kuwari became the leader inAustralia) at theRallye de France, again beatingEvans, this time by 4 minutes. He won again at the Rally RACC Catalunya, his fifth victory of the season. With this result he was able to clinch the championship, as his nearest rivalAl-Kuwari was too far behind to regain the first position in the championship. Kubica conducted a number of simulator tests with the Mercedes Formula 1 team which showed promise, but limitations in the range of motion of his injured arm would prevent him from driving in twisty circuits like Monaco due to the tight confines of an F1 cockpit.[74]
In 2014, Kubica started in the first round of the ERC season. He won theInternationale Jänner Rallye to claim his first victory in that championship, after coming very close on a number of occasions in 2014. His strong results in the stages for this rally eventually netted him the "Ice Master" trophy for the best driver in snow events that season. For the rest of the season, he participated in the main WRC class for theRK M-Sport, running as separate team, backed by Polish oil companyLotos. Kubica began his WRC campaign by taking the lead of the Monte Carlo Rally through the first two stages, but later retired on the second day after crashing out on SS9. Kubica suffered from a string of bad luck for the rest of the season, being fast on occasion but rarely managing to convert his speed into results. His best result was a 6th place at theRally Argentina, a place lower than his highest finish in 2013 (5th in Germany) in a WRC-2 car. He finished the season in 16th place with 14 points. He finished the year on a positive note by winning the non-championshipMonza Rally Show, beating motorcycle legendValentino Rossi to second.
After speculation following the2014 WRC season, Kubica announced he would be racing in2015, still runningFord Fiesta RS WRC and backed by Lotos, albeit no longer prepared by M-Sport. In 2016 due to a lack of funding his sole WRC rally was the Monte Carlo.[75]
In March 2016, Kubica took part in the Mugello 12 Hours, a round of Creventic's International Endurance Series, in a GT3 Mercedes.[76] In September 2016 he competed in the Renault Sport Trophy at the penultimate round of the season in Spa, Belgium.[77]
In January 2017, Kubica took part in the first round of the24H Series, theDubai 24 Hour, driving a Förch RacingPorsche 911 GT3 in the A6-Pro class with co-drivers Robert Lukas, Marcin Jedliński, Wolf Henzler and Santiago Creel. This ended in retirement with undisclosed mechanical problems.[78]
On 2 February 2017, Kubica was signed by theByKolles privateerLMP1 team in theFIA World Endurance Championship.[79] This came after he tested their car in November 2016 during the WEC rookie test atBahrain, and lapped faster than the team's regulars managed on the race weekend.Oliver Webb will remain with the team, with a third driver for the Nissan-poweredCLM P1/01 yet to be named.[citation needed] After the pre-season testing at Italy'sAutodromo Nazionale Monza, where Kubica did not do any running, the driver announced via social media that he would not be participating[80] in the forthcoming season.
On 2 May 2017, Kubica partook in an independently organised test of aFormula E car atDonington Park, with an aim of partaking in theNew York ePrix.[81] This failed to happen.
On 5 June 2017, it was announced that Kubica would be driving in a Renault-organized test of their 2012 car, theLotus E20, atCircuit Ricardo Tormo, his first Formula One event since his accident in 2011.[82]
Renault organised a further test, with Renault managing directorCyril Abiteboul stating that "he was still quick, still consistent and more importantly he still has the enthusiasm he always carried to the team". He added that there were "no obvious roadblocks" to a Formula One return, and told NBC Sports that Kubica could be an option for 2018.[12]
On 24 July 2017, it was announced that Kubica would participate in the test for Renault, which would be held after the conclusion of theHungarian Grand Prix. Abiteboul, Renault's team managing director, said the test will allow the team to fully assess Kubica's current capabilities, and how likely he might be to "return to competition in the upcoming years".[83] Kubica completed 142 laps of theHungaroring on his return, finishing fourth-fastest nearly 1.5 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel.[84]
On 11 October 2017, Kubica completed a one-day test with Williams at Silverstone driving the 2014FW36.[85][86] On 17 October 2017, Kubica had a second day of testing with Williams at the Hungaroring.[87]
AfterFelipe Massa announced his retirement from the sport for the second time,[88] Kubica became one of the top contenders to take his seat atWilliams Martini Racing.[89] He then tested for them at theYas Marina Circuit following the2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,[90] completing 100 laps in his first test with the team's 2017FW40.[91][92] He completed an additional 28 laps the next day and finished seventh fastest,[93] with Williams technical chiefPaddy Lowe reporting that "there are no issues around" his injuries.[94]
On 16 January 2018, it was announced that Kubica would become the reserve driver of Williams for the 2018 season.[13] He took part in his first Grand Prix weekend since the final round of the2010 campaign, in Friday's first practice session at the2018 Spanish Grand Prix, outperforming teammateLance Stroll.[95]
Before the final round of the2018 season, Williams announced that Kubica would race full-time for the team in2019, partnering2018 Formula 2 championGeorge Russell. Kubica chose 88 as hisdriver number, previously used byRio Haryanto in2016.[96]The team struggled during the season, with theFW42 being the slowest car of the field. Kubica finished in 12th place at theGerman Grand Prix, however was promoted to 10th following penalties forKimi Räikkönen andAntonio Giovinazzi, scoring his first point since his return to F1 and breaking the record of the longest time between successive points finishes.
On 19 September 2019, before the Singapore Grand Prix, Kubica announced his decision to end his stint at Williams after the end of the season. Williams released a statement shortly after, stating that Kubica would see out the remainder of the season but would vacate his driver position for the2020 season.
Kubica's first retirement since his return to the sport came inRussia, when Williams decided to retire his car to conserve parts after teammate Russell's race ended due to a wheel nut issue. Williams were criticised for the decision, particularly by Kubica's personal sponsorsPKN Orlen.[97] At the following race inJapan, Kubica criticised the team's decision to remove an upgraded front wing from his car for the race, after he had trialled it during practice sessions.[98]
At the2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Kubica's Williams mechanics released him from his pit box too early, narrowly avoiding hittingMax Verstappen and holding him up in the pit lane.
Kubica ended a difficult season in 19th place in the championship with 1 point, finishing ahead of rookie teammate Russell in the standings. He decided to leave the team[99] and was replaced by2019 Formula 2 runner-upNicholas Latifi.
Full-time Alfa Romeo driverKimi Räikkönen tested positive forCOVID-19 on the weekend of theDutch Grand Prix, with Kubica replacing him.[102] He went on to qualify 18th and finish the race in 15th, while his teammateAntonio Giovinazzi dropped from 7th to 14th. Kubica also deputised for Räikkönen in theItalian Grand Prix at Monza.[103] After qualifying 19th, and finishing the sprint qualifying in 18th after making contact withYuki Tsunoda on the opening lap, he eventually went on to finish the Grand Prix in 14th.[104] Despite participating in only two races, Kubica finished the 2021 season in 20th place out of 21 drivers, ahead ofNikita Mazepin.
Prior to the two races in which he participated, Kubica drove in three free practice sessions in 2021 at theSpanish,Styrian andHungarian Grands Prix, in addition to two days ofPirelli tyre testing for the 18-inch tyres.[105]
In 2021, Kubica achieved success withOrlen Team WRT in theEuropean Le Mans Series, marking his debut in endurance racing. His team secured victory in three rounds and won the LMP2 title.[110]
In January 2022, it was announced that Kubica would be joining thePrema Orlen Team to compete in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) during the 2022 season.[112]
Throughout the 2022 season, Kubica competed in the World Endurance Championship across six races spanning three continents. This included prestigious events such as the24 Hours of Le Mans atCircuit de la Sarthe and the 1,000-mile race atSebring in the USA.[citation needed]
In the final round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, the 8 Hours of Bahrain, Kubica finished second overall driving the No. 83 Ferrari 499P for AF Corse, alongsidePhil Hanson (racing driver) andYifei Ye. The crew maintained consistent pace across the closing stints and capitalized on strategic pit sequencing to secure the runner-up position behind the race-winning Toyota entry.[118]
† As Kubica was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points. ‡ Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.
^FORMULA 1 (11 July 2018),Robert Kubica Interview,archived from the original on 13 December 2021, retrieved1 December 2018{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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