Jul 8, 2007; Silverstone, ENGLAND; Robert Kubica (POL) during the 2007 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone. Mandatory Credit: GEPA pictures/ Mathias Kniepeiss via USA TODAY Sports

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How Robert Kubica Won His Only F1 Race in Canada After a Horrific Accident an Year Before?

Relive the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix for Robert Kubica's first victory

Jul 8, 2007; Silverstone, ENGLAND; Robert Kubica (POL) during the 2007 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone. Mandatory Credit: GEPA pictures/ Mathias Kniepeiss via USA TODAY Sports

Robert Kubica is a name that is famous in the World Endurance championship. He races for AF Corse in the endurance championship. However, Kubica was once a promising prospect of Formula 1 racing. He left Formula 1 in 2022 after an unsuccessful return to racing.

The Canadian Grand Prix of the 2007 F1 season was among the many unfortunate accidents that Robert Kubica suffered. Robert Kubica made his F1 debut in 2006. He was doing well in the 2007 season with Sauber. Kubica was claiming regular points for the team until his major crash in Canada. On lap 27 of the race, Kubica drove into the wall at 300 km/h sustaining a crash of 75G. He was substituted by Sebastian Vettel for the upcoming race in United States. However, noone was ready for what was about to come in the upcoming season.

Canadian Grand Prix 2008- Robert Kubica Wins His First and Only F1 Race

Sauber were incredibly competitive in the 2008 season. Robert Kubica was inevitably leading the team with multiple podiums. His chance to shine came during the Canadian Grand Prix. After a front row start, Kubica passed Lewis Hamilton to claim the lead of the race.

He was contesting against Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton for the race victory in 2008. After the first round of pitstops, Kubica and Raikkonen were side by side waiting to get out on track. However, Lewis Hamilton could not control his McLaren and drove straight into Raikkonen’s Ferrari. This took out both race leaders from contention. Robert Kubica would goon to dominate the race over his teammate and secure his first victory in Formula 1.

Redemption in Canada, Robert Kubica style ✨#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Gv2qq8jLHz
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 15, 2022

After the race, he was joking about thanking Lewis Hamilton for ending his and Raikkonen’s race and giving him the victory. Kubica’s win in Canada also gave him the lead of the driver’s championship. The Polish talent could not maintain his lead for long. Sauber lost their performance over the second half of the season and lost out to the other teams.

Robert Kubica finished the 2008 F1 season fourth in the driver standings. He was a prominent driver in Formula 1 until the 2011 season. During the pre-season testing he suffered a horrific crash in rallying. It stopped him from competing in the 2011 season. But more importantly, it took away his chance to make his biggest breakthrough in Formula 1.

Robert Kubica made a shocking reveal about his 2012 season. He was set to join Ferrari in 2012 but his accident left him unable to race. To this day, Kubica’s Formula 1 career remains one of the biggest What Ifs of Formula 1.

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.