Kubica's Le Mans Win 14 Years After Near-Death Crash Is Racing's Best Comeback Story
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Robert Kubica grew up racing against some of the best drivers in modern times. He rubbed elbows and banged wheels with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as he raced his way up the brutal European ladder kids must climb to be noticed by Formula 1 talent scouts. The Polish driver ultimately found some success, with a win at the 2008 Canadian GP marking the peak of his rollercoaster-like racing career. Three years later, his life nearly came to an end after a horrific rally crash left him mangled; his racing career seemingly gone overnight.
Yet, it wasn't. Kubica didn't know it yet, and of course, neither did we.
After a brief stint in F1 in 2019 and 2020, he failed to measure up to his old peers, let alone keep up with the fresher, younger talent. But none of that mattered Sunday, when, 14 years after everyone wrote him off to the sidelines, Kubica crossed the finish line at the Circuit de la Sarthe to claim the overall 24 Hours of Le Mans win with Ferrari. To say that it was a moment of redemption would be an understatement. It was a moment of resurrection for the 40-year-old—the resurrection of his career, his dreams, his talent, and maybe even the bit of soul he left behind at the scene of his 2011 crash. Getty
Even more triumphantly, his Le Mans win came behind the wheel of a Ferrari, though not exactly a scarlet red one. His No. 83 Ferrari AF Corse is bright yellow—only the factory Ferraris get to wear their usual shade of red in the World Endurance Championship. This connection to Maranello makes Kubica's win even more ironic (and momentous), as it was Ferrari who had reportedly offered the Pole a contract for the 2012 F1 season, a contract he couldn't fulfill after his crash. Nearly a decade and a half later, Kubica won with Ferrari anyway.
Kubica didn't do it alone, of course; his teammates, British racing driver Philip Hanson and China's first Le Mans overall winner Ye Yifei, drove incredibly well during the twice-around-the-clock race. The No. 83 AF Corse struggled in qualifying and started the race back in 13th, the worst qualifying Ferrari. The two factory Ferraris managed to secure the seventh and 11th spots on the grid, and as previous back-to-back winners, they were the favorites to win the race. Getty
Yet, that's not how things went down. Through some incredible race management of their own, and the bad luck of others, the yellow Ferrari slowly inched its way to the front, where it would remain until the Rolex-branded timer showed zero hours and zero minutes left, 387 laps later. In fact, the race lasted a wee bit longer than 24 hours, as Kubica crossed the line to start his final lap with just a few seconds left on the clock.
Behind the No. 83 was the No. 6 Porsche Penske brought home by Kevin Estre, while the No. 51 factory Ferrari came in third place with Antonio Giovinazzi at the wheel. The Hypercar category's top five was rounded up by the second factory Ferrari, the No. 50 of Antonio Fuoco in fourth place, and the pole-sitter No. 12 Cadillac of Alex Lynn in fifth. Getty Alessio Morgese
Sunday's victory is one of the greatest comeback stories of recent years, and it happened at the right time in Kubica's life and career. At age 40, he's not the oldest driver on the grid, but he's definitely not the youngest. It's unclear how many more years Kubica has left in the tank, but it's safe to assume that his new title of Le Mans Overall Winner will, at the very least, put a couple of contract offers on his desk. The ball is in his court now; he is in control of his destiny.
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