The Canadian Grand Prix has produced some of the most unforgettable moments in Formula 1 history.
Few, however, match what unfolded 19 years ago on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, when Robert Kubica survived one of the most terrifying accidents of the 21st century, only to return twelve months later and claim the greatest victory of his career at the time.
Kubica had already announced himself as a serious talent by the time 2007 arrived. The Polish driver had made his debut for BMW Sauber midway through 2006 and, remarkably, stood on the podium at Monza in only his third race.
It was enough to establish him immediately as one of the most exciting young drivers on the grid.
The 2007 season had been a steady, if unspectacular, campaign. Kubica was scoring points regularly, proving he belonged among the stronger midfield runners, yet a genuine breakout moment had still eluded him.
On 10th June 2007, it looked as though the opportunity for any such moment might be taken away from him altogether.
A crash that defied belief
Kubica started that Sunday afternoon from eighth on the grid. The opening phases of the race passed without incident for him, running just outside the points in the midfield.
After a safety car period on lap 22, the field regrouped, and on lap 27, Kubica went wheel-to-wheel with Jarno Trulli’s Toyota approaching the hairpin. What followed was one of the most spectacular accidents seen in F1 for two decades.
Clipping the rear of Trulli’s car under braking, Kubica’s BMW Sauber was launched off the circuit and into the gravel. A small bump sent the front wheels skyward, and from that moment the Polish driver was simply a passenger.
The car struck a concrete barrier at ferocious speed, registering an impact of 75g.
Virtually every component was ripped from the chassis. Wheels, nose, sidepods and bodywork were scattered across the circuit.
The car rolled, struck the opposite barrier and came to rest on its side. Kubica’s feet were visible through the torn-open nose, a sight that feared the worst.
Miraculously, he had sustained only a mild concussion and a sprained ankle. As a precaution, he sat out the following race in Indianapolis, and his absence handed a young German by the name of Sebastian Vettel his official F1 debut.
Kubica was back at the very next round, and promptly underlined the pace of his recovery with an impressive fourth place at Magny-Cours.
Redemption, twelve months on
Exactly a year after the crash, Kubica returned to Montreal with genuine championship ambitions.
He lined up second on the grid, directly behind Lewis Hamilton, and the chaotic race that unfolded could hardly have suited him better.
Hamilton eliminated himself and Kimi Räikkönen in the pit lane after missing a red light. Kubica capitalised brilliantly, passed team-mate Nick Heidfeld and controlled the remainder of the race to claim his first, and ultimately only, Formula 1 victory.
The win also moved him to the top of the drivers’ championship on 42 points, four clear of Hamilton and Felipe Massa.
The title would not come that year. There was every reason to believe, however, that more opportunities would follow, until another enormous accident in 2011, this time in a rally car, changed everything.
The injuries were severe, with his forearm requiring extensive surgeries to save it, and a move to Ferrari that had appeared within reach was never to be.
He did return to Formula 1 between 2019 and 2021 with Williams and Alfa Romeo, and in 2025, he achieved perhaps the greatest result of his motorsport career, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
