The importance of Robert Kubica for Poland’s sporting history is significant as he became the first Polish driver to participate in Formula 1 in 2006 in the colours of the BMW Sauber team and he was also the first Polish racer to win a Grand Prix in 2008 at Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, Montreal also for BMW. The Pole was well-respected among his peers, as Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso both considered Kubica as of the fastest drivers they ever raced against. Kubica switched teams from BMW to Renault in 2010. In 2010, long-time F1 journalist Mark Hughes dubbed Kubica as the best driver of the 2010 season, as he continuously beat faster cars with lesser machinery earning the recognition of many.
While his career was on an upwards swing during these years, Kubica’s career was disrupted by a crash he suffered while rallying during the winter break of 2011. Kubica crashed a Skoda Fabia rally car at high speed during the first stage of Ronde de Andorra.
During the crash a barrier entered the cockpit of the car injuring Kubica. Because of the barrier entering the car it was difficult to get Kubica out of the car, he was stuck there for approximately an hour, before being lifted to a hospital by a helicopter. He underwent a seven-hour operation performed by multiple doctors and two other operations in the next few days to deal with fractures in his arm, shoulder and leg. As a results of the accident Kubica’s forearm was partially amputated and has limited mobility with his right hand and the crash was near fatal for him.
Kubica started the process of recovery, which happened through 2011 and 2012. During the recovery his hunger for racing did not lessen and he returned to rallying in the autumn of 2012. The limited mobility in his right hand raised some questions about his ability to compete, but he quickly proved the critics wrong with strong performances in the races. 
He continued rallying in various series until 2016. While he proved, that he could drive rally cars again, it was questionable whether he could drive open-wheel cars again because of the limited space in those cars. In order to facilitate a return to Formula 1, Kubica tested a Formula E car at Donnington Park and the experience was positive, Robert could drive the car the way he wanted to. This realisation was followed up by a test of a 2012 Renault F1 car at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, where Kubica performed well and was complimented by the team principal of Renault, Cyril Abiteboul. Journalists started speculating about a possible return to F1 for the Pole, as Kubica tested the 2017 Renault at Hungaroring, where Kubica completed 142 laps in a single day, proving that his fitness is not an issue.
Kubica’s early performances contributed to the popularity rise of Formula 1 in Poland. His success allowed Kubica to build a large fan base, who even support him years after he left the sport through injury. Another aspect of Kubica’s story is the will, the drive and the effort to return to racing, to complete the recovery and try and compete amongst the very best of the world in a highly demanding and viciously competitive environment. Kubica’s example can provide motivation and hope to many disadvantaged or partially disadvantaged people, that it is possible to compete with the very best even in a physical discipline, such as motorsports.
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