Good news stories are often hard to find nowadays, even in motorsport. For all of the doom and gloom surrounding Audi’s decision to quit WEC, Formula E’s calendar crisis or Formula 1’s never-ending political struggles, you can occasionally find some silver linings; something to really be excited about.
Such news came the week before last when the FIA and ACO confirmed the entry lists for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Endurance Championship campaign. On a grid packed with sportscar superstars and racing legends, one stood out in particular for me.
Robert Kubica.
Kubica was listed as the primary driver for ByKolles’ LMP1 entry for both Le Mans and the WEC in 2017, confirming the news we had long hoped for: he will be back racing on circuits full-time in 2017.
The story surrounding Robert Kubica makes him one of motorsport’s biggest enigmas. After breaking onto the scene as Jacques Villeneuve’s replacement at Sauber in 2006, he become one of F1’s breakthrough drivers in the years that followed, taking his and Sauber’s first (and only) grand prix victory in Canada two years later.
Kubica linked up with Renault for 2010 and was identified as the driver to lead the team forward, although many had him already pencilled in as a future Ferrari man. Most assume that he would have ultimately replaced Felipe Massa at Maranello to partner Fernando Alonso.
All of that was kicked into touch ahead of the 2011 season. When taking part in the Ronde di Andora rally, Kubica crashed hard into the barrier and sustained severe injuries to his right arm that ended his F1 career.
The extent of his injuries was such that it was remarkable Kubica could return to motorsport at all. And in late in 2012 he did, entering a handful of rallies. The accident did not deter the Pole from being his usual full-throttle self when behind the wheel of a rally car, even if he did end up crashing out of events on a number of occasions as a result. Kubica then won the WRC2 title in 2013 as part of his WRC efforts, and appeared regularly for three years up to the 2016 Rallye Monte-Carlo, after which he decided to bid farewell to the WRC.
Kubica announced last September that he would be entering the Renault Sport Trophy at Spa, where he scored a podium finish on debut. He had charged from sixth to third in the final 10 minutes of the race, and finished just six seconds off the race winner. The talent that had served him so well in the past was still ever-present.
The push towards a full-time return to circuit racing continued when Kubica was named on the entry list for the FIA WEC end-of-year rookie test in Bahrain last November. Given the restrictions of an LMP1 car’s cockpit, the running with ByKolles undoubtedly marked Kubica’s biggest challenge to date, but once again, he took it in his stride. Kubica easily finished as ByKolles’ fastest driver, completing 38 laps in total.
Despite such a successful test, Kubica remained coy when asked at the time about whether a move into WEC was possible for 2017.
“The races are high-level races. It’s not that you go chill out and you do 12 hours, 24 hours cruising; you have to push,” Kubica said.
“Because it’s something new, I’m not 100 per cent sure I will like it. But on the other hand every new challenge gives you some extra motivation to try them to see if you can do it well.
“But for sure if I would decide to do it, it’s because I want to do it, not because I don’t have anything else to do. I came here just to see, to get rid of some doubts I have.
“I know there are areas where I will need to dedicate a bit of time if I will become a proper endurance race driver, but I think if most of the drivers can get used to it and they manage to do it, I don’t see the reason why I shouldn’t do it.”
Yet again, Kubica’s comments summed himself up perfectly. He didn’t want to have a half-hearted shot at WEC, he wanted to become a serious endurance driver. To prepare, he entered the Dubai 24 Hours in a Porsche 911 GT3, before finally being confirmed as part of ByKolles’ line-up at the endurance launch on February 2. At last, Robert Kubica would be back racing full-time on circuits.
“After my time in rallying I’ve been looking for something as close to Formula 1 as possible. This is exactly what I’ve found in LMP1,” Kubica said.
“At the end of last year’s WEC season, I was able to do my first laps behind the wheel of the CLM P1/01. I felt comfortable in the car very quickly and was able to increase my pace accordingly. With even more experience I’m sure I will be able to extract more performance.
“I’m already very much looking forward to the Prologue at Monza and the season start at Silverstone. The professional team of Byolles Racing will continue to make important improvements to the car during the season. I’m happy to be a part of it.
“The WEC is racing on circuits that I know well from my time in Formula 1. The exception is Le Mans. I’ve heard so many good things about the event at the Sarthe. I’m very excited about my first start at this 24 hour race.”
WEC is the best environment for Kubica to return in. The series has always been incredible forthcoming and friendly, meaning he should fit in well. The pressure is eased furthermore by the fact that ByKolles is the only privateer team racing in LMP1 next year. There isn’t a privateer trophy to fight for, nor is there Rebellion Racing to face up against. Instead, ByKolles will know that P5 overall is its target in every race, behind the factory Porsche and Toyota entries. Throw in two retirements, though, and an overall podium is up for grabs – how sweet would that be?
So Kubica needn’t worry about entering hard-fought competition, or any of his limitations costing the team ground in the championship. Instead, he can focus on getting on with the job of racing and adjusting to circuit competition once again. By the end of the season, he may even be bored of that – but this will be a great way for him to take a step towards racing success once again.
Naturally, talk of Kubica possibly making an F1 return at some point in the future followed the Le Mans/WEC announcement. Kubica even said himself that he would love to be able to test a grand prix racer once again. We must, however, remain realistic. Once Kubica has dealt with the stresses of a full-season campaign in an LMP1 car and the gruelling circuits on the WEC calendar, he may then be better placed to make a decision on whether or not he could handle an F1 car again.
Another option for Kubica should he want to make a single-seater comeback is Formula E. While the limitations of a cockpit remain, the cars are much slower than F1, meaning there will be less force placed on the driver. None of the circuits are overly-challenging either.
Robert Kubica will always be one of F1’s missed talents. But do not go thinking that he will be a missed talent for global motorsport. He’s now back racing full-time, and is ready to show the world just what he can do in an LMP1 car. And if his past form – both pre- and post-accident – is anything to go by, there is no reason at all why he cannot flourish.
This feature first appeared in Motorsport Monday Issue 202 as part of Luke Smith's regular column. To subscribe to the free weekly magazine, click here. To read the latest issue, click here.
