Ferrari wins 2025 Le Mans 24 Hour with Robert Kubica
A fairytale drive by Robert Kubica secured Ferrari's third Le Mans win in as many years.
Kubica, a Polish driver whose F1 career was cut short by a tragic accident, held off a fast-charging Porsche to take a famous victory.
He lifted the winner's trophy with his left hand – because his right arm has little strength after it was partially severed in a 2011 crash.
MORE: Kubica wins 'mental battle' to triumph at Le Mans
Robert Kubica, centre, holds the Le Mans winner's trophy aloft with Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson. Photo: AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez
Kubica had a Ferrari F1 driver's contract in his pocket – metaphorically, at least – when he crashed out of a rally in Andorra. A roadside barrier sliced through his car, destroying the racer's right arm.
British television host Jeremy Clarkson told viewers of The Grand Tour that Kubica 'broke every single bone on the right side of his body, had a 17 hour operation to put his arm back on again, and then 17 more operations after that, and his arm still doesn't work properly'.
MORE: Ferrari's battle for Le Mans
The winning AF Corse Ferrari 499P of Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Philip Hanson. Photo:Kubica made it back to F1 but never got his chance with Ferrari.
Until the brand signed him to drive its third car at Le Mans.
This year, Kubica and co-drivers Philip Hanson and Ye Yifei beat the odds to win the world's most prestigious race in front of more than 300,000 spectators.
MORE: Porsche's Matt Campbell on the drive to win Le Mans
Robert Kubica in 2017, years after his crash. Photo: byAfter winning Le Mans, Kubica told reporters he was 'very lucky' to be able to drive after his near-fatal crash that left his right arm in a withered state.
'It took me quite a few years, not only to recover physically but also mentally,' he said.
'What happened happened and I have to accept it. One of the worst periods of my life was when my mind wouldn't accept the fact that my arm was failing.'
Motorsport outlets such as The Race described Kubica's crash and subsequent Le Mans victory as 'one of the most remarkable stories in motorsport history'.
AF Corse's Polish driver #83 Robert Kubica crosses the finish line to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025. Photo: Fred TANNEAU / AFP
Fans posted on X that he was 'the ultimate hero', that Hollywood needs to 'make a movie' about Kubica's life story, and that they watched the final minutes of Le Mans through teary eyes.
Kubica was chased to the line by the Porsche of Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Australia's own Matt Campbell.
Matt Campbell's Porsche took the fight to Ferrari. Photo:Campbell passed two Ferraris late in the race to secure second place, handing over to co-driver Kevin Estre who closed the gap to Kubica, but could not get close enough to pass. Campbell told Racer.com that 'we ran a perfect race today, with no mistakes, so we've got to be proud of what we achieved'.
'We gave it everything,' he said.
MORE: Hyundai joins the fight at Le Mans
Le Mans is exploding in popularity for manufacturers looking to take on endurance racing. Ford, McLaren and Genesis have announced plans to join the race in the next couple of years,a dding to a grid that already includes Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, Aston Martin, Peugeot and Alpine.
Cameron McLeod won Ford's Mustang Challenge in Le Mans. Picture: Supplied
Australian fans cheered on young racer Cameron McLeod in support races in the lead-up to the race. McLeod won Ford's Mustang Challenge races from pole position, taking the chequered flag ahead of Ford competitors from around the globe.
Originally published as Ferrari wins 2025 Le Mans 24 Hour with Robert Kubica
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The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Norris bounces back to leave Piastri in his slipstream
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Piastri was unable to complete his final lap in Q3 after Alpine's Pierre Gasly spun ahead of him, causing a yellow flag which meant drivers behind had to slow down. "Lando's been very quick all weekend so it would have been a tough challenge, but I think we easily had enough pace in the car this weekend to be on the front row," Piastri said. "Always a shame when you don't even get the chance, but we can still have a good race from there. Sometimes it's just not your day." Norris admitted he made a fool of himself when he collided with Piastri in Montreal, and was warned of "tough conversations" by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. However he has been in a class of one so far here, and he will start the 11th round of this 24-race season as the favourite to claim a win which could serve as a springboard to get his title charge back on track a week out from his home event at Silverstone. 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With PA A dominant Lando Norris has delivered the perfect response to his Montreal horror show by securing an emphatic pole position for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix. Australia's Oscar Piastri, the world championship leader, was forced to settle for third place, behind his McLaren teammate and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, admitting afterwards: "Sometimes it's just not your day." Norris's world championship bid was dealt a major setback a fortnight ago when he ran into the back of Piastri. But the British driver has been in excellent form at the Red Bull Ring, topping all of the practice sessions he has competed in, before landing the 12th pole of his career. Norris's margin over Leclerc was a huge 0.521 seconds - the biggest of the year so far at the shortest track on the calendar. Piastri, who leads Norris by 22 points in the title standings, was 0.583 sec behind his team-mate with Lewis Hamilton fourth. Piastri was unable to complete his final lap in Q3 after Alpine's Pierre Gasly spun ahead of him, causing a yellow flag which meant drivers behind had to slow down. "Lando's been very quick all weekend so it would have been a tough challenge, but I think we easily had enough pace in the car this weekend to be on the front row," Piastri said. "Always a shame when you don't even get the chance, but we can still have a good race from there. Sometimes it's just not your day." Norris admitted he made a fool of himself when he collided with Piastri in Montreal, and was warned of "tough conversations" by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. However he has been in a class of one so far here, and he will start the 11th round of this 24-race season as the favourite to claim a win which could serve as a springboard to get his title charge back on track a week out from his home event at Silverstone. 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Piastri was unable to complete his final lap in Q3 after Alpine's Pierre Gasly spun ahead of him, causing a yellow flag which meant drivers behind had to slow down. "Lando's been very quick all weekend so it would have been a tough challenge, but I think we easily had enough pace in the car this weekend to be on the front row," Piastri said. "Always a shame when you don't even get the chance, but we can still have a good race from there. Sometimes it's just not your day." Norris admitted he made a fool of himself when he collided with Piastri in Montreal, and was warned of "tough conversations" by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. However he has been in a class of one so far here, and he will start the 11th round of this 24-race season as the favourite to claim a win which could serve as a springboard to get his title charge back on track a week out from his home event at Silverstone. 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With PA A dominant Lando Norris has delivered the perfect response to his Montreal horror show by securing an emphatic pole position for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix. Australia's Oscar Piastri, the world championship leader, was forced to settle for third place, behind his McLaren teammate and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, admitting afterwards: "Sometimes it's just not your day." Norris's world championship bid was dealt a major setback a fortnight ago when he ran into the back of Piastri. But the British driver has been in excellent form at the Red Bull Ring, topping all of the practice sessions he has competed in, before landing the 12th pole of his career. Norris's margin over Leclerc was a huge 0.521 seconds - the biggest of the year so far at the shortest track on the calendar. Piastri, who leads Norris by 22 points in the title standings, was 0.583 sec behind his team-mate with Lewis Hamilton fourth. Piastri was unable to complete his final lap in Q3 after Alpine's Pierre Gasly spun ahead of him, causing a yellow flag which meant drivers behind had to slow down. "Lando's been very quick all weekend so it would have been a tough challenge, but I think we easily had enough pace in the car this weekend to be on the front row," Piastri said. "Always a shame when you don't even get the chance, but we can still have a good race from there. Sometimes it's just not your day." Norris admitted he made a fool of himself when he collided with Piastri in Montreal, and was warned of "tough conversations" by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. However he has been in a class of one so far here, and he will start the 11th round of this 24-race season as the favourite to claim a win which could serve as a springboard to get his title charge back on track a week out from his home event at Silverstone. 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News.com.au
20 hours ago
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Red Bull's four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen tipped for explosive switch to Mercedes
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Norris and Piastri lead way as McLaren get back to work
It was back to something akin to normality for McLaren world championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged. Their last encounter had been a fortnight earlier, a much-debated and, for Norris at least, highly expensive coming together at the Canadian Grand Prix. The pair had been scrapping over fourth place but the result of the British driver's rash move was to put himself out of the race while his Australian teammate was left to salvage fourth place. Back in competition in second practice at the scenic Speilberg raceway, the pair sped to a McLaren one-two, with Norris just in front. Earlier, in first practice, Mercedes driver George Russell, the winner in Canada, was fastest with Piastri third. Norris handed his car to Irish rookie and Formula Two leader Alex Dunne, who promptly marked his Formula One practice debut by getting to with 0.069 seconds of Piastri. That prompted an outpouring of emotion from Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who benefitted from team obligations to give rookie drivers Formula One experience. .Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, the 19-year-old Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car." Back among the contenders - Piastri has a 22-point lead over Norris at the top of the drivers' standings after 10 of the 24 races - it was down to business at the start of another critical weekend. Norris finished 0.157 sec clear of Piastri with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace in second practice. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell, quickest in the opening session, slipped to sixth. For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton's programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day's concluding running. "For some reason I have just got no pace," said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari. With PA It was back to something akin to normality for McLaren world championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged. Their last encounter had been a fortnight earlier, a much-debated and, for Norris at least, highly expensive coming together at the Canadian Grand Prix. The pair had been scrapping over fourth place but the result of the British driver's rash move was to put himself out of the race while his Australian teammate was left to salvage fourth place. Back in competition in second practice at the scenic Speilberg raceway, the pair sped to a McLaren one-two, with Norris just in front. Earlier, in first practice, Mercedes driver George Russell, the winner in Canada, was fastest with Piastri third. Norris handed his car to Irish rookie and Formula Two leader Alex Dunne, who promptly marked his Formula One practice debut by getting to with 0.069 seconds of Piastri. That prompted an outpouring of emotion from Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who benefitted from team obligations to give rookie drivers Formula One experience. .Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, the 19-year-old Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car." Back among the contenders - Piastri has a 22-point lead over Norris at the top of the drivers' standings after 10 of the 24 races - it was down to business at the start of another critical weekend. Norris finished 0.157 sec clear of Piastri with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace in second practice. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell, quickest in the opening session, slipped to sixth. For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton's programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day's concluding running. "For some reason I have just got no pace," said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari. With PA It was back to something akin to normality for McLaren world championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged. Their last encounter had been a fortnight earlier, a much-debated and, for Norris at least, highly expensive coming together at the Canadian Grand Prix. The pair had been scrapping over fourth place but the result of the British driver's rash move was to put himself out of the race while his Australian teammate was left to salvage fourth place. Back in competition in second practice at the scenic Speilberg raceway, the pair sped to a McLaren one-two, with Norris just in front. Earlier, in first practice, Mercedes driver George Russell, the winner in Canada, was fastest with Piastri third. Norris handed his car to Irish rookie and Formula Two leader Alex Dunne, who promptly marked his Formula One practice debut by getting to with 0.069 seconds of Piastri. That prompted an outpouring of emotion from Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who benefitted from team obligations to give rookie drivers Formula One experience. .Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, the 19-year-old Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car." Back among the contenders - Piastri has a 22-point lead over Norris at the top of the drivers' standings after 10 of the 24 races - it was down to business at the start of another critical weekend. Norris finished 0.157 sec clear of Piastri with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace in second practice. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell, quickest in the opening session, slipped to sixth. For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton's programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day's concluding running. "For some reason I have just got no pace," said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari. With PA It was back to something akin to normality for McLaren world championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged. Their last encounter had been a fortnight earlier, a much-debated and, for Norris at least, highly expensive coming together at the Canadian Grand Prix. The pair had been scrapping over fourth place but the result of the British driver's rash move was to put himself out of the race while his Australian teammate was left to salvage fourth place. Back in competition in second practice at the scenic Speilberg raceway, the pair sped to a McLaren one-two, with Norris just in front. Earlier, in first practice, Mercedes driver George Russell, the winner in Canada, was fastest with Piastri third. Norris handed his car to Irish rookie and Formula Two leader Alex Dunne, who promptly marked his Formula One practice debut by getting to with 0.069 seconds of Piastri. That prompted an outpouring of emotion from Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who benefitted from team obligations to give rookie drivers Formula One experience. .Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, the 19-year-old Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car." Back among the contenders - Piastri has a 22-point lead over Norris at the top of the drivers' standings after 10 of the 24 races - it was down to business at the start of another critical weekend. Norris finished 0.157 sec clear of Piastri with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace in second practice. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell, quickest in the opening session, slipped to sixth. For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton's programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day's concluding running. "For some reason I have just got no pace," said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari. With PA
