Robert Kubica, the first Pole to ever do so, has claimed victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This triumph marks the pinnacle of the former Formula 1 driver’s career, whose right hand was nearly amputated following a severe crash at the 2011 Andora Rally. This accident cost him a seat at Ferrari, but now, ironically representing Ferrari, he adds an absolute highlight to his career.
Kubica shares the victory with British driver Philip Hanson and Chinese driver Yifei Ye, who becomes the first Chinese ever to win the prestigious endurance race. Moreover, this victory signifies the third consecutive Le Mans win for Ferrari. Last year, Kubica was also among the fastest drivers at the Circuit de la Sarthe, but his pursuit of victory was prematurely ended by a crash. “It’s been a long day. I think Le Mans has always been within reach. Great work from everyone. It hasn’t all gone smoothly, but we deserve this victory. We were fast and made only a few mistakes that we could have avoided. Fortunately for Ferrari: three consecutive wins, with three different cars,” an ecstatic Kubica reported over the radio.
Highlight
The triumph in Le Mans is the absolute highlight of Robert Kubica’s career. The former Formula 1 driver for BMW, Renault, Williams, and Alfa Romeo achieved his first and only victory in the premier class of motorsport in 2008 and was destined to become a world champion.
However, crashes had a significant impact on the continuation of his career. During the Grand Prix of Canada in 2007 – coincidentally the same race scheduled for this Sunday – he experienced a horrific crash. In his BMW, he hit the wall head-on, flipped over, and came to a halt with virtually only the cockpit still intact. But the real blow came four years later. During the Rally of Andora, Kubica’s Škoda pierced a guardrail. He broke 42 bones, lost three-quarters of his blood, and underwent a total of seventeen surgeries, including one that lasted twelve hours. His right hand even had to be nearly amputated. This was prevented, but since then, he has only about 20 to 30 percent of the hand function on that side.
Despite everything, Kubica made a miraculous comeback in motorsport and in Formula 1. It was later revealed that he was in line for a seat at Ferrari from 2012. “Ferrari is my biggest regret. I should have moved to Maranello in 2012, but much earlier as well. Not everyone knows that. It’s a wound that opens more easily after the accident. In the world we live in, it’s easier to let things go, but the accident took me from one extreme to the other,” he said earlier to Motorsport.com. After years of setbacks, Kubica made a sporting comeback for that missed opportunity, as the winner for Ferrari in the most prestigious endurance race in the world.
