McLaren did not sign Robert Kubica as Lewis Hamilton‘s teammate at the end of 2007 because his nose was allegedly ‘too big’. This is according to former McLaren communications director Matt Bishop, who reflected on the team’s search for a replacement for Fernando Alonso for the 2008 Formula 1 season.
After a tumultuous season, McLaren had to part ways with Alonso and explored various options to support Hamilton. Eventually, the choice fell on Heikki Kovalainen, who moved to the Woking-based team after a strong debut year at Renault. According to Bishop, Kubica, who was then racing for BMW-Sauber and considered one of the greatest talents of his generation, was also considered but was sidelined for a surprising reason.
In his podcast ‘And Colossally That’s History!’, Bishop recounted a conversation with then McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh. “I remember Whitmarsh saying at the time that one of the problems with Kubica, as a potential McLaren driver for 2008, was that his nose was too big. That’s what he said,” Bishop said.
When asked whether Whitmarsh was referring to an aerodynamic or aesthetic problem, Bishop laughed, “Aesthetic, I think!” He added, “I think he was joking, to be honest.”
Severe Accident
Kubica is considered one of the most underutilized talents of this century in Formula 1. The Pole only achieved one Grand Prix victory, with BMW-Sauber during the Canadian Grand Prix in 2008, and seemed destined for a larger career. However, this was abruptly interrupted by a severe rally accident in February 2011, in which he sustained serious injuries.
After successes in rally racing, Kubica later returned to Formula 1 and drove for Williams for one season in 2019, during which he scored the team’s only World Championship point at the rainy German Grand Prix. In 2018, Kubica also announced that at the time of his accident, he had signed a contract to race for Ferrari in Formula 1 in 2012. Kubica is now 41 years old and earlier this year, he achieved an emotional first victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he triumphed with Ferrari.
