FIVE MEGA KUBICA MOMENTS

2006 ITALIAN GP

Having excelled on his Friday outings for BMW Sauber, Kubica replaced Jacques Villenueve for the final six races of the season and finished third on only his third outing. While a mistake cost him a few places on the grid, he drove an excellent race – holding off and then pulling away from the faster Ferrari of Felipe Massa during the first stint – and took his first points in Formula 1.

2009 AUSTRALIAN GP

The 2009 BMW Sauber was a middling car at best, yet somehow Kubica qualified fourth. He retired after being hit by Sebastian Vettel when passing the Red Bull driver for second place late on. It’s a long shot but, given his offset tyre strategy, it’s not impossible that without the collision Kubica might have been able to pressure winner Jenson Button in the remaining two and a half laps.

2008 CANADIAN GP

Kubica’s only F1 victory came in Montreal, and put him in the lead of the world championship seven races into the season. He had the help of others suffering misfortunes – as well as one-stopping BMW Sauber team-mate Nick Heidfeld letting him past – to be able to make his two-stop strategy work. But it was still a superb drive.

2010 MONACO GP

Kubica was simply stunning behind the wheel of the Renault R30, which he hurled spectacularly between the barriers throughout the weekend. Only denied pole position by Mark Webber’s late improvement, Kubica finished third after losing a position to Sebastian Vettel at the start, but proved beyond any doubt his mastery of the most challenging of street tracks.

2010 JAPANESE GP

Kubica’s qualifying performance at Suzuka was astonishing, lapping fourth fastest in a car that wasn’t second-row worthy and starting third thanks to a penalty for Lewis Hamilton. His race didn’t last, as he retired after two laps having run second early on, but on a true driver’s track he had again shown his pace.