Hailed as the hero of the race after helping to steer AF Corse’s #83 Ferrari 499P Hypercar to victory in last month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, Robert Kubica has revealed that barely had the chequered flag fallen in France than he was busy contemplating how to repeat the feat...
Kubica played a key role in the Prancing Horse’s third consecutive triumph in the legendary twice-round-the-clock contest – the jewel in the crown of the FIA World Endurance Championship campaign – as Ferrari notched up its 12th outright success at La Sarthe and first ‘triple’ since the 1960s, when the marque won six editions in a row.
The Pole’s awe-inspiring final five stints – much of which he completed without proper hydration due to an issue with his drinks system – have been well-chronicled, and while his naturally understated and self-effacing character means he is not the type to brag, he does concede that it was the realisation of a major career goal.
“When I started competing in endurance racing in 2021, I fell in love with Le Mans,” Kubica reflected, speaking to fiawec.com. “I felt like a small kid again, discovering something new. The emotions I experienced that weekend made me think, ‘wow, this is magic, this is really something special’. I openly said, one day, I would like to be able to fight for the overall win – as an endurance driver, there is no greater aim.
“I think if somebody told me, you can choose only one – winning the world championship or winning Le Mans – I would go for Le Mans. In 2023, when I won the FIA WEC title in LMP2, I was happy but I would have exchanged that for a win at Le Mans. It’s a target for every driver, I think.
“I don’t know what the future will bring, but I hope I will be given a chance to race a few more times at Le Mans, and even if I’m not racing, probably I will go anyway to experience the emotions of this unique event from a fan’s perspective.”
Typical of his analytical nature and commitment to his craft, once the post-race celebrations were done-and-dusted, the 40-year-old Kraków native wasted no time at all in getting straight back down to business. With Le Mans glory successfully ticked off – and having closed the gap to the championship-leading #51 Ferrari crew from 36 points to just 16, with 117 remaining in play over the second half of the season – the 2025 FIA WEC Hypercar crown is the next target on his list…
“Already on the Monday, I was texting my engineer going through different parts of the race, trying to understand and pinpoint areas for improvement moving forward,” Kubica acknowledged. “Le Mans is over but not really over – there is always a lot of work to do.
“We will go to the next round with the same goal of trying to score as many points as possible. Without our DNF at Spa, probably we would be closer in the championship or even in front, but that’s racing. One thing within our control is the way we approach every event, and that needs to be exactly the same or even better than what we have done up to now...”
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