Robert Kubica has described lining up on the Formula 1 grid with Williams at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix as perhaps his greatest personal victory away from the track. The Polish driver has reflected on the remarkable comeback that followed his serious 2011 rally accident, as well as the severe competitive difficulties Williams faced throughout his return season.
Kubica’s overall victory at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans in the AF Corse Ferrari 499P remains the most important sporting success of his career. On a personal level, however, his return to Formula 1 eight years after the accident still carries enormous significance.
Robert Kubica calls F1 grid return his greatest personal victory
Speaking in an exclusive video interview with FormulaPassion, Robert Kubica recalled the emotion of completing his comeback by taking his place on the grid in Melbourne.
“Being able to line my car up on the grid in Australia was perhaps my greatest victory away from the track. It was a strong emotion, as well as an important personal redemption.”
Kubica had spent several years working his way back towards Formula 1, facing both encouragement and scepticism along the way.
“In the previous years there had been a lot of people who were positively surprised by what I was able to do during my journey back towards Formula 1, but there were also many people who were just talking without really knowing. I’m happy that in the end those words were blown away by the wind. I proved that people often talk without knowing much about what they are saying.”
Kubica knew his limitations before attempting comeback
Kubica stressed that he never underestimated the physical challenge created by the injuries he suffered in 2011. He questioned his own ability before deciding to test a Formula 1 car again and would not have attempted a return unless he believed he could meet the required standard.
“It was an unusual situation,” Robert Kubica said. “I have limitations and I was the first person to question myself. I would never have returned to Formula 1, nor would I even have agreed to do a test, if I had not been aware that I could do it.”
“I am a very competitive person and very demanding of myself, and that would have made me take too much of a risk. That is why, when I decided to do my first test with Renault in 2017 and then try with Williams, I was very aware of my limitations, but also that I could do it.”
There could never be a guarantee over outright performance, however, and Kubica acknowledged that only returning to competition could provide the definitive answer.
“Obviously, there is never any guarantee when it comes to performance, so you have to try to find out. In that case, the performance in 2019 was very disappointing, but it was a demanding journey that gave me a lot on a personal level.”
Williams lacked the tools Kubica needed to fight
Kubica finished the 2019 championship ahead of rookie team-mate George Russell in the standings, although he scored only a single point. Williams was comfortably the slowest team on the grid, and Kubica believes the car gave him very little opportunity to compete properly against his rivals.
Even so, he has never tried to use either his physical limitations or the consequences of his accident as an excuse for his performances.
“Few people know exactly everything about my journey after the accident and the years I went through. I have never hidden behind my limitations or what happened to me.”
“Obviously, though, once you put on your helmet and line your car up on a Formula 1 grid, you would at least like to have the tools to be able to fight against your opponents. Honestly, that year the tools were really limited. You cannot race against the level of teams and drivers there are in Formula 1 in those conditions.”
Alfa Romeo test gave Kubica a different benchmark
Kubica remains convinced that a more competitive car could have allowed him to achieve stronger results during his comeback season.
He pointed to his subsequent test with Alfa Romeo, after becoming the team’s third driver, as an important indication of what he could still do in a Formula 1 car.
“My best answer was the test with Alfa Romeo the following year, when I became their third driver, in the first test in which I was able to drive a ‘real’ Formula 1 car.”
“The year with Williams was very complicated, not only technically but also in terms of managing the fundamental things you need in order to race in Formula 1.”
Despite those frustrations, Kubica remains grateful to Williams for giving him the opportunity that completed his comeback.
“On the other hand, I will always be grateful to Williams for giving me this opportunity to return to Formula 1 and experience the emotions of racing in a Grand Prix again.”
Kubica retains affection for Williams staff
The difficulties of 2019 have not erased Kubica’s positive memories of the people he worked with at Grove.
“There were positive moments and others that were less positive, but it was a really complicated year. As always happens during difficult years, though, perhaps you also learn more.”
“Beyond the results, I have to say that at Williams there were a lot of people who worked incredibly hard and professionally. Precisely because the Williams period was so complicated, I will always retain a very positive feeling in my mind towards the group I met and worked with.”
Kubica said those relationships have endured whenever he has encountered former colleagues in subsequent years.
“Even in recent years, when I have occasionally met those people, I have always smiled. In difficult situations, the group is important.”
“On one hand, there was a really complicated situation in terms of management and the way reality was being dealt with, but on the other there was a truly united group of people who gave everything every day in an unpleasant situation.”
Motorsport drove Kubica’s recovery after 2011 accident
Kubica’s 2019 return represented the culmination of years of rehabilitation following his serious accident in 2011. Throughout his career, the Polish driver has repeatedly had to recover from major injuries, and he believes his commitment to motorsport was central to that process.
“Sport is the main driving force behind recovery because it is what you live for, and everything you do beyond racing is dedicated to it 100%.”
“The passion, the desire to put yourself back out there and to continue give you a great push and help you overcome difficult moments, or at least that has always been the case for me.”
“Having raced in go-karts and single-seaters since I was young, and having dedicated my entire life to this sport, I don’t know what else I could do. Obviously, there is a question mark over the day when I stop, but it is also wonderful to be able to dedicate yourself 100% to something, which in my case is motorsport.”
Kubica’s subsequent career eventually brought one of motorsport’s biggest prizes, with victory at Le Mans in 2025. But the emotional significance of his 2019 Formula 1 comeback remains unique: simply reaching the grid again after everything that happened was, in his words, already a victory.
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