Lewis Hamilton says forgotten F1 driver who won just one race was 'one of the most talented' he ever faced

Lewis Hamilton has raced against countless world champions during his time in Formula 1, but the seven-time champion of the world named a driver with only win as "one of the most talented drivers" he's faced.

Hamilton has been at the pinnacle of Formula 1 since 2007 when he signed for McLaren. The Brit won all but one of his titles after moving to Mercedes and now is poised to join Ferrari in 2025.

Despite racing against the likes of Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and more recently Max Verstappen, Hamilton named Robert Kubica when pressed on the most talented drivers he's 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.

Throughout his Formula 1 career, Kubica competed in 99 races, achieving podium finishes in 12 of them.

His sole victory occurred at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, where he capitalised on a collision between Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane, allowing the BMW Sauber driver to secure his first taste of victory.

Kubica was tipped for greatness in F1, but in 2011 his right forearm was partially severed in a serious accident at the Ronde di Ally rally.

The Pole was taking part in an attempt to improve his driving skills, but the injury had a devastating impact on his F1 career.

"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," Hamilton explained.

"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."

Kubica miraculously returned to racing in 2012 but had to wait until 2018 to be back in F1 as he was named alongside rookie George Russell for Williams.

Kubica and Hamilton- Getty

Kubica lasted one season at Williams before being replaced but has maintained his presence within the sport and made cameo race appearances for Alfa Romeo as their reserve driver.

Despite only standing on the top of the podium once in his career, Kubica is one of the greatest talents the sport has ever seen and if it wasn't for his devastating misfortune he could well have been regarded as one of the greats.

Topics: Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1

Tom Jenkins

Tom Jenkins is a Social Editor and Journalist for SPORTBible. Specialises in Football and F1 but has experience covering a variety of sports such as MMA, Boxing and Cricket. Suffers weekly as an Evertonian.

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