Four days on from triumphing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside AF Corse team-mates Yifei Ye and Philip Hanson, Robert Kubica has been reflecting on the magnitude of the #83 Ferrari crew’s achievement...
In crossing the finish line 14 seconds ahead of the pursuing #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, Kubica made history by becoming the first Pole to prevail at La Sarthe – and only the second driver in the 21st century, after Fernando Alonso, to win both Le Mans and a Formula 1 grand prix.
In his five appearances in the world’s greatest race, the Kraków native has either finished on the podium or not finished at all – and with 21 Hypercars on the grid and an extraordinarily high calibre of competition, he rates last weekend’s edition as his toughest challenge yet.
“It was definitely the most intense Le Mans I’ve done,” Kubica told fiawec.com. “I would say most of the stints, if not flat-out, were close to being flat-out. I didn’t race at Le Mans before 2021, but generally the number cars in recent years and their level of technology and reliability has increased massively. Endurance races are no longer simply about trying to survive, where if you make no mistakes and have no problems, you will finish on the podium – that’s not the case anymore.
“This year’s Le Mans was a perfect example of how tough the race has become, not only for drivers and pit crews but especially for the cars. I think about some of the races I did in Formula 1, which were far less intense and much shorter. The field was also extremely competitive this year, which adds another layer of value to what we achieved.
“Fernando Alonso and I have one thing in common – we’ve both won Le Mans and also in Formula 1 – and I joked that while he won the F1 world championship and I didn’t, I won a more competitive Le Mans than he did! Back in those days, there were far fewer Hypercars in the FIA World Endurance Championship and at Le Mans. I think we are living in a golden era of endurance racing right now, which is also reflected by the number of fans coming to races. There are a lot of positive vibes in the paddock.”
Kubica’s Le Mans glory came exactly 17 years and one week on from his Canadian Grand Prix victory with BMW in 2008. Since then, he has gone on to clinch rallying’s WRC2 crown – consistently outperforming current FIA World Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans as he tallied five victories from seven starts – while showcasing his impressive versatility with title triumphs in the LMP2 category in both FIA WEC and the European Le Mans Series.
At the age of 40, however, his latest achievement is inarguably his finest to-date, and he admits he has been somewhat taken aback by the way in which the win – perhaps allied to his inspirational backstory – transcends sporting success.
“I was not expecting such a big, positive reaction from people in Poland,” Kubica revealed. “I’ve had a lot of people approach me and say, ‘I don’t watch racing – I’m not interested in it – but my son or my husband was watching and I have to tell you, when you won, we cried’. This goes beyond just racing; this goes beyond sport.
“That made me reflect a lot – that probably because of my story and because of how unique Le Mans is, I managed to give people some emotions. I was surprised by the attention the win generated, not only in Poland but generally. I was surprised by how many people texted me – I didn’t know so many people had my phone number, because I don’t give it away very easily! Even if I had competed at Le Mans before, I didn’t fully understand how important and well-known this race is until now...”
Watch FIA WEC live or on-demand via the official FIA WEC TV app – your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don’t miss a moment. For further information, check out the app.
