In an exclusive interview with SPORTbible, a former F1 driver who Lewis Hamilton hailed as 'one of the most talented' he's ever faced has finally responded to the comments.
With over 18 years in Formula One racing for McLaren, Mercedes and current team Ferrari, Hamilton is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid.
Across his time in the sport, the 40-year-old has won everything there is to win in F1, claiming seven drivers' championship titles while competing against some of the best to ever drive a Formula One car.
Although he has raced against the likes of of Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and, more recently, Max Verstappen, there is one, perhaps unlikely, driver that stood out to the Brit among the rest.
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And after being labelled as one of the most talented drivers that Hamilton has ever met on track, the former F1 star has finally replied to his old rival in an exclusive interview with SPORTbible.
Back in 2006, Robert Kubica made his Formula One debut and went on to compete in 99 races, achieving podium finishes in 12 of them.
Just two years later, he achieved his sole race victory at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, as a collision between Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane allowed the BMW Sauber star to secure what would be the only win in his career.
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But despite only have one race win, Hamilton claimed that Kubica was among the best drivers he has ever competed against.
"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," Hamilton claimed in 2019.
"From the beginning, I already saw the talent that he had."
Following a tragic accident in 2011 at the Ronde di Ally rally, Kubica took some time away from F1 before returning in 2017 and leaving once again in 2022.
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But he didn't let the crash put an end to his motorsports career, as he now races for Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and ahead of this year's season finale in Bahrain, he spoke exclusively to SPORTbible about Hamilton's comments.
“Wow, I mean that’s nice from Lewis," he told SPORTbible
"We've known each other close to 30 years, he has had a much more successful career but we have grown up as drivers in many of the same championships.
"I was also his teammate in one race in 2004 in Macau Grand Prix. So very kind from him, it’s always nice to see he has respect and I also do.
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"I think we can be happy we find ourselves, not just us two but our generation, pushing each other to become better and better with tough competition since karting and I think it’s been a successful generation.”
Kubica joined the three-man team driving the the #83 Ferrari 499P of AF Corse in the Hypercar class ahead of the 2024 season, partnering Ye Yifei and Robert Shwartzman.
In 2025, he competed with fellow Ferrari car #51 for the title, with his biggest moment coming as he took victory in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans with Yifei and new teammate Phil Hanson, becoming the first Polish driver to win the event overall.
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Earlier in the season, Kubica also won the Lone Star Le Mans, a six hour endurance race at Texas' Circuit of the Americas, becoming only the third racing driver in history to win both a Formula 1 race and a WEC race after Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.
Speaking about adjusting to endurance racing following a career in F1, Kubica told SPORTbible: "It’s impossible to compare, the DNA of the sport is similar, drive as fast as you can. But the cars are completely different and as an endurance driver you need to have different abilities.
"Compared to Formula One, it's not a small difference!"
Following a strong end to the season in Bahrain, finishing the race in fifth, Kubica and his teammates in car #83 came second out of 18 teams taking part in the Drivers’s Championship this year.
Topics: Formula 1, Motorsport, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ben McCrum