F1's smash hit

One of the images of the 2007 season that will be repeated over and over is Robert Kubica’s crash at the Canadian Grand Prix. The force with which the Polish star’s BMW-Sauber tumbled across the track before com­ing to a rest was gut wrenching.

The sight of the driver’s feet through the shattered monocoque was even more stomach churning. That he was largely unhurt was remarkable in itself. Even more astonishing is the fact the crash seems to have kick-started the 22-year-old’s season.

Before Montreal, Kubica had trailed his team-mate, Nick Heidfeld, virtually everywhere. He spent the US Grand Prix on the sidelines, recovering from concussion, and then came back with a bang, recording fourth-place finishes in France and Britain.

The man himself can’t put his finger on why. “It certainly wasn’t anything to do with the crash,” he told us. “I think my performances have stayed the same. Things look deceptive because I was carrying more fuel in qualifying earlier in the season. And it’s difficult to beat your team-mate when you’re heavier.”

As with many racing drivers, Kubica comes across as being very relaxed. But he is also philosophical as he heads towards BMW’s home round in Germany, and then Hungary, where he will celebrate making his Formula One debut 12 months ago.

“Anything is possible,” he said. “If you look at pure pace and performance, then no, we probably can’t win a race, because McLaren and Ferrari are too strong. Then again, maybe in the next rounds BMW will get some more performance upgrades...” His voice trailed off into a smile. “But I have to think realistically, and fourth, fifth or sixth are really where we should finish. Even so, our car is better sorted out than last year. Then, we were struggling to finish in the top eight – apart from at Monza, where we were the second quickest team.”

Last season’s Italian GP was only Kubica’s third race in F1, yet he finished just shy of the top two places, and fended off Felipe Massa’s faster Ferrari in an assured manner. It was the event that confirmed BMW had made the right decision in replacing Jacques Villeneuve with the almost unheard of Polish novice.

He started karting as a six-year-old, winning six national championships in the process, to earn a job as tester for a works team. It was here that he first met fellow F1 rookie Lewis Hamilton, with the pair developing a healthy respect and friendship. In fact, the Brit claims his rival is “definitely” a champion in the making. However, while Hamilton’s burgeoning career was bank-rolled by McLaren and Mercedes, Kubica’s progress wasn’t so clear cut. He started motor racing in 2001, and made it to Formula Three in 2003, before a road car crash curtailed his second season.

For 2005, he raced in the Renault World Series. It was a good move, because winning the title earned him a drive in the French manufacturer’s F1 entry. It was this test that caught the eye of BMW boss Mario Theissen, who got in before an uncharacteristic­ally slow Flavio Briatore of Renault and immediately signed him up.

But even then, Kubica’s future was far from certain. He tested for BMW at the Friday of every grand prix during the first half of 2006, and the team’s engineers liked what they saw in comparison with regular drivers Heidfeld and Villeneuve. Yet it wasn’t until Hungary that he was guaranteed a drive for the rest of the year.

Now, having picked up a brace of fourth places in the previous two grands prix, he’s starting to come on strong. So, does that mean a race vic­tory is on the cards?

“I try to approach every grand prix like I want to win it,” he said. “This year, I aim to do as much as possible. But to set targets isn’t such a good idea. When you don’t achieve them, then you’re disappointed.”

However, Kubica does concede that BMW is now growing rapidly as a team. “We have everything we need to win. The secret is translating that into victories, and I think we can do that in the next few years. Most teams will have everything they need to win, but they still can’t do it.” And finally, we return to that crash. Does it play on his mind? Has it affected the way he drives? “No,” he replied. “I don’t think about it.”

We asked again. What was it like rolling down the track? Was he not at all scared? “No,” he laughed – and you believe him... almost.