From F1 Star to Survivor: Kubica’s Life-Altering Crash

Kubica reflects on the crash that ended his Ferrari hopes, reshaped his F1 career, and left a lasting personal impact.

Robert Kubica’s career and life took a dramatic turn on February 6, 2011, when the rally Skoda Fabia he was driving in a national competition in Italy crashed into a guardrail. The F1 Grand Prix winner of 2008 recounts how he had made the decision to participate, despite the promising 2011 season ahead with Renault.

“I was in Valencia for pre-season testing when they offered me the rally car drive,” Kubica said on the Gurulandia podcast. “At first, I accepted, but then I called back to say, ‘Forget it.’ But they told me Pirelli was already bringing tires, and the road had already been closed for testing.”

“I was convinced that if I could adapt to that style of driving, I would gain a real advantage. When it rains and you have slick tires, the feeling you get from rallying is priceless. In F1, when it rains, they immediately bring out the red flag, but in the Monte Carlo Rally, if you’re on slicks and it starts snowing, you have to manage.”

During the accident, the guardrail pierced through the car, directly striking the driver’s body. The Polish racer endured a nightmare of physical trauma and rehabilitation, as his body recovered from dozens of fractures.

“Honestly, I remember very little of what happened because I was in a coma for a long time. I arrived at the hospital with only a liter and a half of blood left, while the human body usually has six or seven. The entire right side of my body was completely destroyed. I had 42 fractures, and from my toe to my elbow, everything was broken.”

“I am human. For six or seven months, I lost all sensation and couldn’t move anything. I tried to move my finger but couldn’t, and that’s a feeling only those who’ve lived through it can understand. The day I finally managed to do it, I felt an overwhelming, almost absurd joy.”

The accident not only ended Kubica’s journey with Renault, but it also canceled a contract with Ferrari set to begin in 2012. The driver, who competed with Williams F1 in 2019, admits that this remains his greatest regret and that the disruption in his career had a profound impact on his life.

“Ferrari is my biggest regret. I was supposed to move to Maranello in 2012, but also much earlier, and not everyone knows that. It’s the post-accident wound that reopens most easily. In the world we live in, it’s easier to let things go, but because of the accident, I went from one extreme to another.”

“No one can imagine how different I was before 2011. What I went through didn’t just affect my racing career but also my everyday life. It was a hard blow, lasting for many years. I don’t even remember how I used to drive. But that’s okay—this is life, and that’s how it turned out.”