Lewis Hamilton picks SHOCK F1 star as 'one of most talented' he has faced

F1 News & Gossip

Hamilton picks SHOCK F1 star as 'one of most talented' he has faced

Lewis Hamilton has come up against many stars during the course of his F1 career

Shay Rogers

Wednesday 31 January 2024 20:57

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Despite only sharing a few seasons on track with Robert Kubica, Lewis Hamilton believes that he is ‘one of the most talented drivers’ he has ever faced.

After the cruel fate of a devastating rally crash in 2011 denied him from joining Ferrari for the 2012 season, Kubica fought back to return to the grid eight years later.

Although his 2019 campaign didn’t turn out how he had hoped, he did manage to prove to the entire paddock that against all odds – he could still race in Formula 1.

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Fast forward to 2024, and the Polish racing driver has signed up to race as part of Ferrari’s hypercar programme in the World Endurance Championship.

Robert Kubica tested for Alfa Romeo following his departure from Williams in 2019

Williams delivered a terrible car in 2019 which Robert Kubica had to cope with

Robert Kubica pictured pre-season in 2011 while racing for Lotus-Renault

Hamilton: Robert is one of the most talented drivers

Speaking in quotes reported by the Mirror, Lewis Hamilton shared his admiration for the Pole, whose return to the F1 grid goes down as one of the most inspirational tales in the sport’s history.

“I've known Robert the longest, we started racing each other in go-karts in 1998 - for me, Robert is one of the most talented drivers that I've competed against," the seven-time champion said.

“From the beginning, I already saw the talent that he had. I think what's really remarkable is the strength and the determination he's shown to get through the incident he had.

“Not a lot of people can come from those kinds of circumstances and make it back into the sport and deliver against others who don't have the same situation as him.

"It's definitely not the same scenario as when he was in a competitive team back in the day but I think he's done great this year.”

He may not have enjoyed the success he wanted to in the sport, but Kubica’s performances at both BMW Sauber and Renault between 2006 and 2010 will be remembered as a true display of what a fine talent he was.

Victory at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix – exactly a year on from a horrifying crash at the event showed exactly what mental strength the Pole has possessed throughout his career and why he is rated so highly by his peers.