Robert Kubica started his career in karting in 1995 before moving up to single seaters in 2001 in the Italian Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup and by 2003 was competing in Formula 3 Euroseries. It was not until his move to the Word Series by Renault in 2005 that Kubica really made a name for himself.

With wins at Zolder, Bilbao and Oschersleben (twice) he took the title. In addition Kubica also took the runner-up spot at the Macau classic and tested with Renault at the end of the season.

BMW Sauber wasted no time in signing up Kubica as test driver in 2006 and the Pole immediately impressed the team with his raw pace and feedback. With Jacques Villeneuve and the team going their separate ways following the German Grand Prix, Kubica was promoted to the race seat alongside Nick Heidfeld.

His F1 debut in Hungary saw Kubica take the final point in eighth position. He was later excluded from the results as the car was found to be fractionally underweight, but Kubica had shown well in his debut. He would finish on the podium in Italy with a superb third position and looked set for a podium position in China until he gambled and took dry tyres before the circuit was sufficiently dry.

2007 would prove to be a mixed season for Kubica. Sixth position in the championship with 39 points was a solid enough result, but he was usually out-paced by team-mate Heidfeld. His season was not helped by a massive crash in Montreal in which he was fortunate to escape without serious injury. After missing the US Grand Prix due to the accident, Kubica scored points in all but two of the remaining races.

Kubica was able to raise his game in 2008 and completely out-shone Heidfeld in addition to securing BMW Sauber's first race win a year on from his massive Montreal crash. It may have been a fortunate first win, but he had placed himself in position as rivals Hamilton and Raikkonen found trouble.

With four additional podiums to add to his Canadian success, Kubica remained in championship contention until the penultimate round of the season. Much to his frustration, the team opted to focus its resources on 2009 and as a result, the F1.08 lost ground to its rivals as the season progressed culminating in a run to 11th position at the Brazilian finale. He ended the 2008 season fourth in the standings, on equal points with Kimi Raikkonen.

Having raised his game and made his competitive instincts clear to BMW Sauber, Kubica is aiming high in 2009. He has proven his speed and should the team provide the Pole with a competitive car over the season, could well be the dark horse for title success.