Ex-F1 Driver Fulfills Le Mans Dream After Shattering 42 Bones in Horrific Crash
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Robert Kubica achieved his championship dream after winning the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside his teammates Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye in the satellite #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P LMH last weekend. The victory marked his huge comeback from a horrific rally crash that broke 42 bones during his Formula One racing days in 2011.
Kubica won the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. However, a championship was what he was aiming for while he raced alongside F1's greatest drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. While he was set to join Ferrari for the 2012 campaign, tragedy struck the year before at the Rally Ronde di Andora, where Kubica suffered serious injuries.
A guardrail went right through his Skoda Fabia at high speed, affecting Kubica quite severely and leading to a partial amputation of his right forearm. Surprisingly, his co-driver was unharmed in the incident. The event had a big impact on his racing career. A few years later, in 2019 and 2020, another chance at F1 rekindled hopes of success, but Kubica was unable to beat the competition.
Race winners, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P of Robert Kubica (driving), Yifei Ye, and Philip Hanson celebrate as they enter parc ferme at the end of the Le Mans 24 Hour Race on June...
Race winners, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P of Robert Kubica (driving), Yifei Ye, and Philip Hanson celebrate as they enter parc ferme at the end of the Le Mans 24 Hour Race on June 15, 2025 in Le Mans, France. More
JamesLife had other plans for the Polish driver, as he managed to win a championship with Ferrari, not in F1, but in the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans, which puts even the best drivers to the test. Kubica and his team won the 2025 race at the Circuit de la Sarthe, marking Ferrari's historic third win in a row.
Despite the yellow Ferrari 499P LMH starting the race from 13th place, the team finished with flying colors. Kubica drove for 43% of the race and even managed 59 laps with a non-functioning drinks bottle. Despite the huge roadblock that shattered his F1 dream with Ferrari, he was destined to win with the Maranello outfit several years later.
Ferrari released a statement after the race, revealing that the 499P has won every race at the Circuit de La Sarthe since its race debut. It read:
"For the third year running, Ferrari has triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, securing the 93rd edition of the French endurance race with the number 83 499P driven by Prancing Horse's official driver Yifei Ye, alongside Phil Hanson and Robert Kubica, who crossed the line in the AF Corse team's Giallo Modena-liveried car. In the fourth round of the 2025 FIA WEC, the number 51 499P of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi took third, ahead of the other official Ferrari – AF Corse car, number 50, driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen.
"Thanks to the Italian manufacturer's extraordinary result, Ferrari will now keep the winners' trophy forever – a right granted to those who secure victory in three consecutive editions.
"After the wins in 2024 with Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen and the Centenary edition in 2023 with Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi, the Maranello manufacturer once again climbs to the top step of the podium with a car already etched in motorsport legend – the Ferrari 499P, which has won every race contested at the Circuit de La Sarthe since its competitive debut.
"The Maranello manufacturer now boasts 12 overall victories in the world's oldest and most prestigious endurance race between 1949 and 2025.
"Ferrari has now secured three consecutive outright victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since the 1960s, when the Prancing Horse won six editions in a row between 1960 and 1965. The last of those, achieved with the Ferrari 250 LM, was also the final overall triumph in France before its return to the top class of endurance racing starting in 2023."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
44 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Mercedes Urged to Keep Russell Unless Verstappen Becomes Available
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Sky Sports pundit Anthony Davidson called for Mercedes to keep George Russell unless Red Bull driver Max Verstappen hits the driver market. Russell's contract expires at the end of the season, although Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has reassured the media that a new deal is coming. Paddock experts believe the delay in the contract renewal is tied to whether Verstappen hits the market. Race winner George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Second placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing walk back from the Stewards Office during the F1... Race winner George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Second placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing walk back from the Stewards Office during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. More Photo byOn the Sky broadcast, Davidson made it clear that the driver market can be unpredictable, but that Russell's performance and ties to Mercedes should see him stay for another season. "I thought that Lewis Hamilton was gonna stay at Mercedes when there were rumors about him going to Ferrari, but so I was wrong there," Davidson said. "So I don't wanna assume that Russell's gonna stay, but he's obviously very much part of the family. "He's the original young driver that came up through that Young Driver Academy within Mercedes. "They nurtured his career through F3, F2, and then into Williams with the Mercedes power unit, obviously, and then now into Mercedes. And he's a race winner. He's really driving a strong season this year. "Unless Verstappen were to come on the market, you'd be a fool not to sign Russell." "Unless Verstappen were to come onto the market, you'd be a fool not to sign Russell" 🗣️ Will George Russell be at Mercedes next year? 📝 — Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 26, 2025 During the Austrian Grand Prix race weekend, several reports are linking Mercedes to Verstappen as Red Bull struggles to perform this season. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has hinted at potential clauses in the Dutch driver's contract that could allow him to leave the team. The RB-21 is lacking pace and comfort, proving to be a real handful for the drivers to handle. Verstappen is delivering consistently title-winning performances, but the car's struggles have limited him to P3, 43 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri. With a new set of regulations coming in 2026, Verstappen is rumored to be considering a move away from Red Bull if the team struggles, leaving Mercedes as the team best positioned to sign the four-time World Champion. Mercedes invested several resources into their other driver, Kimi Antonelli, giving him a ton of testing and preparation before he ever drove in an F1 race. Since the team devoted so much to the Italian prodigy, it is hard to see the team moving on from him, given the promise he has shown. That leaves Russell potentially on the chopping block if Verstappen expresses his desire to leave. More F1 news: How Lewis Hamilton Made the F1 Movie Production More Expensive For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Lando Norris takes a dominant pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix
SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — Lando Norris said he felt back to his old self after taking pole position by more than half a second in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday. Norris is seeking a strong result in Austria after colliding with his teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri at the last race — in Canada. Norris crashed out and Piastri extended his standings lead. Norris set the pace throughout the final part of qualifying and his final lap increased his advantage over second-place Charles Leclerc of Ferrari to 0.521 of a second. "Nice to see the old me back every now and then,' Norris quipped to his team over the radio. It's the third pole position of the season for Norris and the first since last month's Monaco Grand Prix, which he also won. That ends a streak of five pole positions at the Red Bull Ring for defending champion Max Verstappen, going back to the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix. Piastri was .062 further back in third and said he had to abandon his final run of qualifying when Pierre Gasly's Alpine spun in front of him. ___
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Ferrari F1 Chairman Joins McLaren Group Holdings, Claims 'Heart Will Always Remain Red'
The former Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo has been added to the McLaren Group Holdings board as a director. This move comes 11 years after di Montezemolo stepped down from the role of Ferrari Chairman, where he helped lead the Italian team's highly successful years with Michael Schumacher. The role is focused on the British auto companies' road cars, and the proud Italian businessman is adamant that he will not find himself working with the F1 team in any meaningful way. Di Montezemolo told the Italian outfit Ansa that his work with McLaren was in Autos and 'not in the racing sector.' "My heart is and will always remain red," di Montezemolo told Ansa. "I have become a member of the board of directors of McLaren Automotive, which produces road cars and does not deal with Formula One." Since leaving Ferrari, the 77-year-old has been took over the Italian airline Alitalia and worked towards a failed attempt to bring the Olympics to Rome in 2024, joining the Italian National Olympic Committee in 2015. The Italian businessman was a guest of McLaren at McLaren Auto's second home track in Bahrain earlier this year. The Bahrain Grand Prix saw a McLaren winner for the first time, with Oscar Piastri taking his second win of the season, moving within three points of his teammate, Lando Norris, for the championship lead. Piastri would take the lead the following Grand Prix and has held it since, with the duo controlling the Drivers Championship and Constructors Championship so far. In McLaren's structure, the two sectors are loosely tied with share ownership between the groups. McLaren Group Holdings owns shares of McLaren Group Limited, which is the majority owner of McLaren Racing Limited, which includes the F1 team. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
