The 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans gained’t go down within the historical past books as being a traditional. Throughout the race on 14/15 June, simply as soon as did the protection automobile make an look, whereas a very non-existent risk of rain meant there wasn’t a lot jeopardy thrown at a largely bulletproof grid of 62 vehicles throughout the Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 lessons.
Nonetheless, there have been flashes of intrigue. The early rocket begin for the No.5 Porsche Penske Motorsport within the first hour provided some early credence to Ferrari’s pre-race feedback that it wasn’t beginning as favorite – one thing its lacklustre qualifying of seventh for the No.50 automobile, eleventh for the No.51 and thirteenth for the eventual race-winning No.83 machine provided credence to.
Ferrari in the end assumed management of the race after the primary six hours because it occupied the highest three spots within the outright classification. Penalties for the No.50 and No.51 vehicles later within the night time for yellow flag infringements, some workforce orders drama and late-race technical gremlins for the 2 manufacturing facility 499Ps stored the door open for a doable shock earlier than the chequered flag.
Certainly, heading into the ultimate hour, the No.6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 being pushed by Kevin Estre – who got here from final in school in the beginning – had cut up the Ferraris and hovered at an uncomfortable 10-15 seconds behind the main No.83.
However even he thought any assault was unlikely: “I imply they [Ferrari] had a lot the higher hand all through the race that to lose all that tempo within the final hour could be unusual.”
Estre mentioned the one hope was for that moderately slender margin may pile some stress on the No.83 automobile right into a mistake. It had been off at one stage in the course of the race whereas being advised to maneuver apart for one of many manufacturing facility vehicles, in any case.
However a five-stinting, sleep-deprived 40-year-old Robert Kubica, regardless of discomfort from a damaged cooling tube within the cockpit and nonetheless a bit of seething from manufacturing facility Ferraris not listening to workforce orders across the 19-hour mark, wasn’t going to let victory at Le Mans slip from his grasp once more.
In 2021, in his debut on the occasion, he was on target for victory within the LMP2 class earlier than a final-lap technical subject pushed the automobile right into a heartbreaking retirement. Although, as he revealed to the media final Sunday, his disappointments had been fairly shortly put to 1 facet when his prize for profitable LMP2 was identified to him.
“I used to be satisfied that you just acquired a Rolex for profitable LMP2,” he began. “After which in fact our sister automobile gained and after the race I mentioned ‘the place is the Rolex?’ And so they mentioned ‘no, we didn’t get it’. Then I felt higher. It gave me some aid. I mentioned ‘Okay, it’s not as dangerous as I assumed to retire! I’m tremendous pleased, as a result of in the long run it’s not one thing you should buy.”
After all, outright victory at Le Mans, in a Ferrari, means a bit of bit extra to Kubica than only a watch…
Kubica’s Le Mans win wasn’t with out its challenges
It wouldn’t be overstating issues to say that Kubica was an absolute stud when he got here to F1 in 2007 with BMW. A constant prime six finisher, the rostrum appeared a certainty at some stage. Certainly, he stood on the rostrum simply two rounds into 2008 and took a maiden victory in that 12 months’s Canadian Grand Prix.
The win in itself was fairly one thing once you have in mind only a 12 months earlier in Montreal Kubica’s race resulted in a violent shunt on the strategy to the hairpin in the direction of the tip of the lap. Testomony to fashionable security requirements, he walked away with an ankle harm and missed solely the next US spherical at Indianapolis (opening the door for Sebastien Vettel to make his F1 debut as a stand-in).
An uncompetitive BMW in 2009 stunted Kubica’s progress, however his expertise by no means abandoned him, and he was again on the rostrum once more in 2010 following a change to Renault. For Ferrari, its future F1 title hopes firmly rested on his shoulders because it put a deal in place for him to affix the workforce for the 2012 marketing campaign.
After which it was all cruelly snatched away from him early in February in 2011 when he crashed in the course of the Ronde di Andorra rally. The quick crash right into a guardrail left him with critical arm accidents that utterly derailed his racing profession. He recovered sufficient to start racing once more in 2013, returning to rallying and profitable the WRC 2 title.
He started dabbling in sportscar racing a number of years later and would find yourself again on the F1 grid in 2019 with Williams. However a lot time away from F1 coupled with uncompetitive equipment yielded a single level for Kubica. After 2019, he took up sportscar racing full-time within the World Endurance Championship and instantly made an impression.
The frustration of his first Le Mans go to in 2021 couldn’t masks the velocity he nonetheless possessed to compete in main occasions, with a brace of seconds within the following years backing that up earlier than AF Corse snatched him as much as drive the client Ferrari 499P Hypercar final 12 months. Le Mans didn’t go to plan because the No.83 retired, however the automobile gained on the COTA spherical of the WEC.
At Le Mans this 12 months, the No.83 pushed by Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson, didn’t have a straightforward run of it. A fairly sluggish begin from thirteenth noticed the intense yellow AF Corse automobile make little progress. Kubica additionally revealed that he battled a downshifting downside all race, whereas the steadiness of the automobile wasn’t what it had been beforehand.
“It was dangerous all of the 24 hours,” he mentioned of the downshifting points. “Sadly it occurred once we fitted the race gearbox. We thought this was one thing associated with the settings, however it was not. So it was a troublesome one, particularly in some corners it was actually, actually on the sting. And once more including one other stress. We managed, we tried to assist with the driving type, with the brake shapes and stuff like this. However in the long run it was simply overlaying the difficulty, not curing it.”
However the ‘different’ headache Kubica speaks of is a workforce orders fiasco within the latter hours of the race. Having twice been advised to maneuver apart for the manufacturing facility vehicles beforehand, the No.83 discovered itself on the opposite finish of workforce order calls round hour 18 when the No.51 of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi was advised to maneuver apart.
No.83 AF Corse Ferrari, 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans
© XPB Pictures
The instruction was handed on, however it wasn’t executed throughout that hour. Kubica lower a livid determine on the radio, noting that twice the No.83 had obeyed these orders earlier within the race. He then ran off on the Mulsanne nook, letting the No.51 pull additional away out of the window to sluggish and drop behind.
Kubica needed to be cooled down by his race engineer, however his outburst was justified and well-argued – demonstrating simply how a lot struggle the Pole nonetheless has in him, one thing that Ferrari may do effectively to keep up with a manufacturing facility workforce promotion within the coming years.
The No.83 would finally discover itself in a commanding lead by the beginning of hour 21, as a technique variation allowed it to leap the No.50 and No.51 vehicles by ensuing pitstop phases. The latter additionally suffered from a poorly-timed Full Course Yellow in hour 20 forcing it to make two gasoline stops, with it spinning on pit-entry for the second.
After the race, Kubica was nonetheless clearly irritated by the workforce orders state of affairs and felt it put him into an “pointless” danger for the ultimate push with the No.6 Porsche being peddled laborious by Estre not as far behind as he would have appreciated.
“We did play the workforce participant, the 83,” Kubica mentioned. “We tried to assist the place we may, however I felt like we shouldn’t have been there in that place, particularly that we had extra tempo and being caught behind the opposite automobile, you’re simply destroying your tyres and dropping efficiency. So, once you see the hole to the [No.6] Porsche, I feel it was right to push and we couldn’t. You by no means know at Le Mans: it’s higher to have 40 seconds benefit than three seconds. It makes your life simpler. It was not good, to be sincere.
“I perceive everyone seems to be attempting to do issues for themselves, however there are respect issues and as soon as there’s a name that we’re not racing one another and then you definitely see the opposite automobile overtaking your team-mate and never giving again the place. And we had been chasing due to that. Lastly, it didn’t change the ultimate end result, happily, however it positively put rather more stress and rather more dangers, typically an pointless danger.”
Ferrari defended its race administration technique, however was additionally pleased to conceded that the late issues for the No.51 and No.50 vehicles meant with out the No.83 it will not be celebrating a 3rd successive Le Mans victory.
Kubica’s win not being dragged down by previous missed probabilities
Whereas the general outcomes sheet paints an image many predicted – a Ferrari win – there is no such thing as a avoiding the poignancy of the No.83 automobile taking to the highest step. Kubica has turn into the primary Polish driver to win Le Mans outright, whereas team-mate Yifei Ye is the primary Chinese language competitor to take action.
However the actual significance is the closing of a circle for Kubica, one which began when he signed his Ferrari F1 contract previous to his career-altering harm nearly 15 years in the past.
As talked about earlier, Kubica’s type in F1 was that of a driver ok to affix a prime workforce and sure struggle for championships. That actuality won’t ever be realised, however his drive final Sunday at Le Mans – alongside his No.83 stablemates – will go a protracted to proving that his star solely would have risen increased with out his accidents.
When he got here to talk to the media, he lower a drained however contented determine. There was emotion, however this wasn’t a driver dwelling on the previous.
“I imply, not likely,” he mentioned of this felt like a closed chapter. “What occurred many, a few years in the past with my accident once I had signed already for Ferrari won’t ever come again. However I accepted that. Ultimately I can’t be right here if I’d not be….. perhaps not totally healed, however nonetheless for a lot of, a few years there have been moments the place you had been dwelling with some type of what if? Lastly, I managed to maneuver ahead. I began racing again. I began trying ahead.”
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a cruel beast, with little regard for laborious work and private sacrifice. Kubica is one among numerous during the last 93 runnings of the occasion who can attest to this. However typically, simply typically, Le Mans permits for a cheerful ending.
And that’s what Ferrari, the No.83 AF Corse automobile, and Robert Kubica acquired in 2025…
