Fernando Alonso has lavished praise on his former Formula 1 rival Robert Kubica, following his impressive victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Pole, along with Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson, won the prestigious long-distance race in the AF Corse Ferrari on Sunday. After multiple stints in Formula 1 and a life-threatening accident in rally racing, Kubica’s Le Mans victory was a dream come true.
For Kubica, the Le Mans victory represented his greatest motorsport success since his first and only Formula 1 win. His race with AF Corse was only his second appearance in the top class of the French endurance classic. Fernando Alonso, who scored points in the Canadian GP the same weekend, is himself a two-time Le Mans winner. Between 2018 and 2019, he won twice with Toyota. He did not hide his admiration for his old rival.
‘A Beautiful Day for Motorsport’
“I’m very happy for him (Kubica),” Alonso told ESPN. “We’ve talked a few times about how special that race is, and he deserves to experience that.” Kubica’s career took a dramatic turn in early 2011 when he crashed heavily during a rally. The severe arm injury he sustained ended his planned move to Ferrari, where he would have been Alonso’s teammate in 2012. His recovery took over a year and a half, but in 2019, Kubica returned to the Formula 1 grid with Williams for one season.”In the following years, he increasingly focused on sports car racing. His victory in Le Mans also earned him his second overall win in the FIA World Endurance Championship. “Kubica is a legend in our sport, and even more so now after winning Le Mans,” said Alonso. “Everyone knows how much pain he has suffered due to the accident and everything that followed – I think this is a very happy day for motorsport. I am incredibly happy for him. I will call him again tomorrow, I will not disturb him today. He will probably be celebrating somewhere,” the Spaniard concluded with a laugh. “I am very proud of him.” Kubica will continue his WEC season later this year with races in São Paulo, Austin, Fuji, and Bahrain.
