Robert Kubica

Polish Formula 1 driver who became the first Pole to win an F1 race and made a remarkable comeback after a life-threatening rally accident.

Robert Józef Kubica was born on 7 December 1984 in Kraków, Poland, and developed into the only Polish driver in Formula One history, making his debut with BMW Sauber in 2006 and winning the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, his sole Grand Prix victory, while leading the championship standings for a period that season. On 6 February 2011, days before what was to be his final rally event before focusing solely on Formula One, Kubica suffered a horrific crash at the Ronde di Andora rally in Italy, when his car struck a guard rail that penetrated the cockpit at high speed. He suffered a partial amputation of his right forearm, 42 fractures, and massive blood loss, arriving at hospital with only one and a half litres of blood in his body, and underwent 17 operations, including an initial seven-hour life-saving surgery. A seat at Ferrari for 2012 had already been agreed before the crash, but Kubica's injuries derailed what many considered a certain path to future world titles. He spent years rebuilding through rallying before an extraordinary return to Formula One with Williams in 2019, driving with permanently limited mobility in his right arm and hand. Kubica has since found renewed success in endurance racing, winning the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Ferrari-affiliated AF Corse in 2023, and remains widely regarded as one of the most talented drivers of his generation, his career forever altered by one of the sport's most harrowing off-track accidents.

Aggressive, precise driver with exceptional car control and racecraft

Pioneering Polish F1 driver who inspired a generation despite career-altering injury

• Canadian Grand Prix Winner 2008 (BMW Sauber)
• Race wins 1
• Podiums 12
• Pole positions 1
• First Polish F1 race winner