Robert Kubica said his triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday, 14 years after a near-fatal rally crash that partially severed his right forearm, should erase any doubts about his capacity to compete in motor racing while his former boss, Fred Vasseur, has called him an "alien" after the victory.
The 40-year-old former Formula 1 driver became the first Polish overall winner of the French endurance race in a car shared with Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson. Kubica told BBC: "I don't think my limitations are limiting behind the wheel. I think if someone had doubts in the past, I showed those doubts should not be in place.
Kubica, the first Polish Formula 1 driver, won the Canadian Grand Prix and finished fourth overall in 2008. He was linked with a move to Ferrari before the crash sidelined him for nearly a year. He returned to motor racing in 2012, focusing mostly on endurance races, before making a return to Formula 1 in 2019.
Kubica said: "There was some very extreme quotes of some people which hurt me because I am the first one who would never like to be back just for marketing or a being a PR muppet. People pointing the finger, saying maybe it wasn't safe, and having doubts. They are not doing it anymore."
Kubica: A better scenario could not have happened
Of the race itself, Kubica reflected: "I was very close a few years ago in LMP2 at my first Le Mans when we lost the race on the last lap, but this time, everything worked perfectly and winning overall is better than in LMP2. It has been a demanding week, but fortunately, we made everything possible.
"We kept our heads down, when we had to, we pushed, and we didn't have to, we took care of the car, and of the tyres. I'm happy for myself, for my teammates, for AF Corse and for Ferrari winning three times in a row with different crews, so I think a better scenario could not have happened," added Kubica, tipping his hat to his co-pilots Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye.
Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Fred Vasseur paid tribute to Kubica, reflecting on their long-standing relationship and Kubica’s perseverance through a turbulent motorsport career.
Speaking after the Canadian Grand Prix, Vasseur recalled his time working with Kubica when he served as reserve driver at Alfa Romeo, and even further back in his junior racing days: “I have a close relationship with Robert. He stayed with me a couple of years at Alfa Romeo and before that in Formula 3 and Formula Renault.”
Vasseur: He had a chaotic career in motorsport
The Ferrari F1 boss was full of admiration for Kubica’s performance in the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari, which secured an overall win at Le Mans against the factory Hypercar entries. For me, he's an extra-terrestrial. What he's doing is mega and to win in Le Mans in this situation and to be the leader of the car, to lead the team, it's something that I can't imagine.”
Vasseur also reflected on the broader meaning of Kubica’s achievement, acknowledging the challenges the Polish driver has overcome during his career: “I'm very, very pleased for Robert. He had a chaotic career in motorsport, and when you see the level of effort that he put into his career, I'm very, very pleased for him to have this kind of result today.
Kubica's winning teammates also had their say after the remarkable victory. 25-year-old Ye commented: "The 499P was fantastic, we were in a position to fight for the win right from the start.
"We also made up for last year's bad luck, when we led the race for 83 laps, the same number as the car, but a technical problem forced us to retire. Winning Le Mans with Ferrari is something unique," declared Ye, who also made history on Sunday at Le Mans to become the first Chinese driver to win the great race.
Teammate, 25-year-old Englishman, Hanson added: "The last few laps weren’t easy. They seemed to go on forever. Only when our 499P crossed the finish line did I breathe a sigh of relief and realise that we had actually won. You can never relax at Le Mans. In the past, it has always thrown up surprises right up to the end." (
Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha & GRANDPRIX247))
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