Robert Kubica was a Formula 1 driver who many fans feel saddened by when looking back at his career. Many believed he would achieve a lot more than he did.
Joining F1 midway through 2006 as Jacques Villeneuve’s replacement in 2006 at BMW, Kubica made an immediate impression. He grabbed a podium in his third race at Monza and earned a full-time seat next to Nick Heidfeld in 2007.
The 40-year-old finished his first full season in sixth behind his teammate, having dealt with numerous battles throughout the year. Kubica stunned doctors with an ‘impossible’ recovery after he suffered a horror crash at Montreal; he missed just one race and returned to finish fourth in France.
Kubica grabbed his only F1 win the following year, coincidentally at Montreal, and finished the year fourth, level on points with defending champion Kimi Raikkonen. His former engineer Marco Schupbach was reminded of Michael Schumacher by the victory; Kubica was backed for more wins.
| Robert Kubica’s F1 career | |
| Grand Prix | 99 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Fastest Laps | 1 |
| Podiums | 12 |
| Points | 274 |
Unfortunately, he would not reach the top step again, but did secure numerous podiums with Renault before leaving F1 in 2011 to pursue a career in rallying. After suffering a horrifying accident that year, he made his return to the pinnacle of motorsport in 2019 with Williams, but it only yielded one point.
While his F1 career did not reach the heights that many expected, Kubica did make history as the first, and to date, only Polish driver to race in the sport. His situation is exactly what Franco Colapinto now faces with Alpine in 2025.
Robert Kubica ‘hates’ when people say they are searching for the ‘next Kubica’ – Franco Colapinto is now facing it in 2025
Replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams midway through 2024, Colapinto became the first Argentine F1 driver since Gaston Mazzacane in 2001. Since his arrival, the sport has seen an incredible surge in viewership and support from his home nation.
Now with Alpine, Colapinto has brought substantial backing from Argentina in terms of fanbase and sponsorship. The Imola paddock was covered in Argentine flags and football shirts, even when there were no fans in attendance on media day, highlighting the national pride he has brought.
It is the exact same impact that Kubica had in Poland, with many wondering who will be the ‘next Kubica’ in F1. But former Alpine boss and fellow Pole Marcin Budkowski says the 40-year-old ‘hates’ it when people say that about him after leaving the sport.
Speaking via Racing News 365, Budkowski discussed his driver management programme, Racing Future Management, which aims to develop young talent into NASCAR, sports car and F1 drivers, particularly in Poland.
“It’s a school of life, motorsport is a school of life at this level, like any very high-level athlete,” he said. “It’s a school of life and that’s why also these projects that we’re doing, all the educational projects, they’re not only [that] you produce sports [car drivers].
“Because we all know that out of hundreds of cars and drivers, they’ll be a few formula drivers and maybe one Formula 1 driver, and that’s not even a guarantee.
But all of them will have learned much more than driving, they will have learned and matured as young people and I think sport and motorsport is a part of it. They are also educational projects, not only sporting projects.”
Asked whether the aim was to find another Kubica, he replied: “Robert hates when we say that because it’s been used and abused, but yeah of course.
“There’s the pride of a country, it’s having a Formula 1 driver. We see it now with Colapinto, maybe that pride is sometimes a bit misplaced and a bit exaggerated!”
READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know
Could there be another Polish driver in F1 after Robert Kubica?
Kubica continues to remain heavily involved in motorsport today, competing in the World Endurance Championship for Ferrari. While he may not like people saying that they are searching for the ‘next Kubica’, many have wondered if there will be another Polish driver in F1 one day.
At the moment, the closest Pole to F1 is Roman Bilinski. The 21-year-old is currently competing in his first season in F3 with Rodin Motorsport.
Bilinski won the Formula Regional Oceania Championship in 2024 – the same title Arvid Lindblad won in 2025 to gain his FIA superlicence, as Red Bull look to fast-track him to F1. After three rounds of the 2025 F3 championship, the Pole sits ninth in the standings with one podium.
Currently not signed to an F1 academy, Bilinski is considered a promising up-and-coming young talent and will be eyeing a move to F2 for 2026. However, he will have to up his game for the rest of the season, as he is already 53 points behind championship leader Rafael Camara.
