WEC: KUBICA AFTER LE MANS TRIUMPH: "OVERCOMING THE ACCIDENT WAS THE GREATEST VICTORY"

It's a fairytale. Behind Robert Kubica's victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans lies the story of a driver who never gave up, despite the difficult moments he faced in his career. Fourteen years after the tragic accident at the 2011 Andora Rally, Robert Kubica clinched victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving the Ferrari he had long dreamed of. Yet, for the Pole, the true success was something far more personal, as he revealed in the post-race comments.

"I don't believe this is the most important success of my career. The most important one has nothing to do with racing, to be honest. It's the victory I achieved, the battle I fought when my mind or my brain couldn't accept my limitations after the accident," Kubica stated. "During recovery, there were numerous months of struggle, of work, to accept, to start over, to make peace with my heart, not to live with 'what if it hadn't happened,' but with goals and objectives ahead. Accepting your limits, which seems easy, but for me, it wasn't easy at all."

He sees it as a victory against all odds, one that still needs time to be fully appreciated. "Let's say that today fate has given me something back, at least on a sporting level; it's a huge result. I'm someone who, even when I won in F1, didn't fully enjoy it; perhaps tomorrow I'll be able to more. Now there's also fatigue; we haven't slept for many, many hours, at least in the last 38 hours. I've slept two, but maybe when I get some sugar, my brain will switch on and I'll enjoy it more."

A Dream Realized After a Near Miss in 2021

This victory was something Kubica had nearly achieved before, but it slipped away in the most dramatic fashion in 2021. He was leading in an LMP2 class prototype when, with one lap remaining, he was forced to retire due to an electrical problem. That near-win hurt for a long time, but after yesterday's triumph, it's just a page in the past.

"It's certainly a special day. I think back to when I did my first Le Mans in 2021, losing the LMP2 category on the last lap, in the worst possible way," he reflected. "I already knew that in racing, you have to wait until the finish line, but clearly, I'd known for some time, when I was in the car, that only a mechanical failure could take the victory away from us." It took five attempts to finally claim the top step of the podium, a challenge that transported him back to his early days, when everything felt like a first. "When I came here the first time, I was 35, had raced in many categories, and everything had become normal, so to speak. But Le Mans, with its unique and particular challenge, gave me emotions and sensations as if I was facing something new, of which I didn't know how I would feel, what to expect. And it took me back to my karting days, where everything happened for the first time."

"I Said 'If I Win, I Retire'... We'll See"

The 24 Hours of Le Mans captivated him from his very first time on its bends and straights. Yet, this hard-fought victory might mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, because for someone like Kubica, challenges are more appealing than anything else.

"I loved that feeling and fell in love with Le Mans. In 2021, I told my teammate Louis Deletraz that if I won, I wouldn't come back. And in fact, I even mentioned it two days ago to a friend of mine, who works at Ferrari and is also a rally driver. He told me: 'I heard that if you win, you retire.' And I replied: 'If I win, I'll go back to rallying.' I usually keep my word. Let's see what the future holds."