Robert Kubica’s journey back from near-disability culminated in victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as Ferrari secured its third consecutive win. Kubica’s team, AF Corse, dominated the event after a strong qualifying performance by the factory cars.
Kubica’s long road to recovery began after a severe crash in 2011 that left him with partial amputation of his right arm and hand. Despite this setback, he joined the World Rally Championship in 2013 and eventually returned to Formula 1 with Williams in 2019. Sunday’s win marked Kubica’s first Le Mans victory and made history as the first Polish driver to achieve so.
Chinese driver Ye Yifei took second place alongside Kubica, with Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 6 car closing the gap by just 14 seconds. Ferrari won for the 12th time in the 93rd edition of the event, which began 102 years ago.
Kubica praised his team, saying “It has been a long 24 hours” after his win, and thanked them in Italian. Ye echoed this sentiment, calling it an “unbelievable story” that Kubica had finally achieved a perfect ending to his comeback journey. Ferrari’s pace was on full display as they controlled the majority of the race.
The event highlighted the resilience of drivers like Kubica, who overcame near-disability to return to professional racing. The win marked a milestone in Kubica’s career and cemented his place in history as the first Polish driver to secure an outright Le Mans victory.
Source: https://www.espn.com/racing/story/_/id/45517409/ferrari-wins-24-hours-le-mans-third-straight-year