As chaos and mayhem have often unfolded around him, Robert Kubica has kept his head down, nose clean and quietly gone about his job.
That is not to say Kubica has merely preyed on others' misfortune because there can be no doubt he is this season worthy of the tag of world title contender.
Okay, he may not possess the looks of a superstar, but behind the wheel he is one of the most talented drivers of his generation.
On Sunday, Kubica returned to the scene of a grand prix where 12 months ago he suffered a crash that 10 years previously would almost certainly have claimed his life.
The 23-year-old escaped from one of the most horrendous accidents witnessed for many a year with nothing more than concussion and a sprained ankle.
His BMW Sauber that had smashed into a concrete wall and barrel-rolled across the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, throwing the brave Pole around like a rag doll inside the cockpit, barely resembled a racing car by the time it finally came to rest on its side.
Only the monocoque and the left-rear wheel remained, testament to the safety improvements made since the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in 1994.
It takes a man with iron-willed mental strength to then step back into a car, to banish the memories of seeing his life flash before his eyes, and drive as if what had unfolded was just one of those days.
Formula One, along with other forms of motor racing, is littered with heroic failure, of drivers who have been involved in a major shunt and never quite been the same thereafter.
Kubica is quite clearly made of sterner stuff, and to his credit he now finds himself leading this year's world championship.
There was an obvious degree of good fortune to his victory in the Canadian Grand Prix, but if you are not in the right place at the right time to take advantage, it counts for nothing.
Jokingly after the race, but with a certain degree of truth to it, Kubica thanked Lewis Hamilton for 'opting' to crash into the back of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari at the end of the pit lane rather than his own car.
Raikkonen and Kubica were lined up alongside one another, waiting for a red light to disappear that was holding them back due to the presence of the safety car on track.
Hamilton, who had been comfortably leading the race, was slow away from his pit stop compared to his two rivals as the team fuelled him heavy for the middle stint of the race.
But somewhat incredulously, Hamilton - who claimed he did not see the red light until it was too late - was also late on the brakes and crunched into Raikkonen rather than Kubica.
The motor-racing Gods, no doubt chuckling heartily to themselves at Hamilton's ridiculous gaffe at 30mph, certainly smiled on the man from Krakow at that particular moment.
And therein lies the crux because whilst Hamilton, Raikkonen and team-mates Heikki Kovalainen and Felipe Massa have had their fair share of problems this season, Kubica and BMW Sauber have stayed out of trouble.
A collision with Kazuki Nakajima aside in the opening grand prix in Australia where he had qualified second, Kubica has since been 'Mr Consistent', finishing in the top four on each occasion.
His more aggressive driving style, particularly important over one lap, has allowed him to totally overshadow team-mate Nick Heidfeld in qualifying, the German's smoother approach resulting in him lagging behind in all seven races to date.
That is no coincidence, but then Kubica has also suffered for his art as he chose to lose weight during the winter.
When you consider he is already a six foot string-bean, there was not too much weight to lose in the first place, but it has so far paid dividends.
Certainly as Kubica readily concedes his car is not the most powerful compared to the McLaren and Ferrari.
But if the feuding marques continue to trip up - occasionally over one another - he may yet unassumingly continue on his merry way to the biggest prize of all.
************
As Formula One takes a weekend off, attention switches to the Le Mans 24 Hours, the endurance classic that sorts out the men from the boys once they have ended their careers at the highest level.
For Jacques Villeneuve, F1 world champion and Indy 500 winner, it represents another opportunity of entering motor-racing folklore.
Only the late Graham Hill has previously won all three events such is the severity of the task, so for Villeneuve, victory would mean everything.
Racing in one of three Peugeots - Nicolas Minassian and Marc Gene his co-drivers - the French marque are expected to cruise home.
Which one of the trio takes the chequered flag, should they live up to their favourites tag, will become apparent on Sunday.
So as the 37-year-old Villeneuve remarks: "It could end up being quite special."
For a man who has enjoyed considerable success, that is saying something.
No comments:
Post a Comment