by Alex Johnston
Polish driver Robert Kubica has officially joined Ferrari for next season. Before you check your calendar, it's not 2012. The experienced driver will race for Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship, often referred to as 'WEC'.
For long standing fans of F1 this moment is bittersweet with the fact Kubica was due to join Ferrari for 2012 before he had his rally accident, and the news serves as a stark reminder of what could have been for Kubica.
Kubica came onto the scene in 2006, debuting for BMW Sauber at the Hungarian Grand Prix in place of Jacques Villeneuve and beating experienced teammate Nick Heidfeld in qualifying and finishing seventh in the race before car weight issues saw him disqualified. He'd end the season in the Sauber car, taking a podium in just his third race at Monza.
📸 Kubica with Michael Schumacher celebrating his rookie podium.
He'd have two of his most memorable F1 moments in Canada in back to back seasons, the first: in 2007 a terrifying high speed crash in the race that measured 75G, but somehow escaped with only a concussion and a sprained ankle. The second moment was what would be his first and only F1 victory, a year on from his accident, and that's when people really started to take notice as he ended the year fourth in the standings.
📸 2007: Kubica's car comes to a halt after a scary impact.
📸 2008: Redemption for Kubica who won a year later in Montreal.
He stayed with Sauber one more year but the team faltered and Kubica moved to Renault for 2010 where he again impressed, bringing the team three podiums on the way to an eighth place finish in the standings, and signing a pre-contract with Ferrari for the 2012 season.
📸 Kubica with Renault(2010).
A near-fatal accident in a rally race derailed Kubica's career, with the Polish driver suffering multiple serious injuries to his limbs, resulting in a partial amputation of his forearm which was essentially rebuilt. Kubica would miss the 2011 season and wouldn't race in F1 again until 2019.
📸 The remains of Kubica's impacted rally car.
Kubica returned to rally racing in 2012 and rebuilt his fitness, testing an F1 car once again six years on from his accident before being announced by Williams for the 2019 season alongside George Russell, scoring the team's only point of the season at Hockenheim. He left Williams at the end of the season and become Alfa Romeo's reserve driver.
📸 Kubica scored Williams' only point of a dismal 2019 season.
He made two more F1 appearances, replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Zandvoort and Monza in 2021 as the Finn had Covid 19. When Kubica's main sponsor ORLEN joined Alpha Tauri for 2023, Kubica left F1 with (a slightly unsatisfying amount) 99 starts, one shy of a century. He won once, and took 12 podiums, one pole position and one fastest lap, but many F1 fans are left wondering what could have been. Could he have been a F1 champion with Ferrari? Could he have gone on to partner Vettel, gone to Mercedes with Hamilton? Could he even have been the stalwart Red Bull turned to in '21 to support Max Verstappen's title charge? One can but wonder...
📸 Kubica will always be one of the big 'what if's' of F1.
The news of his switch to WEC, for most, is welcome and wholesome news and feels like a something of a homecoming. WEC will be an exciting series in 2024 with the addition of Kubica joining names like Nyck De Vries, Ferdinand Habsburg, Mick Schumacher, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobyashi among a star studded field. Don't miss it!
📸 Something of a homecoming for Robert Kubica.
📸 Formula Motorsport Limited, AF Corse, Alpine F1 Team, Williams Racing, Alfa Romeo Stake F1 Team
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