Kubica “really on the edge” with Ferrari gear shift woes en route to Le Mans victory

Ex-Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica said persistent downshift issues his Ferrari faced en route to Le Mans 24 Hours victory meant the car was “really on the edge”.

Kubica triumphed alongside Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye in the satellite #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P LMH but spent much of the race battling with the full factory sister cars.

However, the #83 was plagued with gearbox troubles throughout, which the trio of drivers had to overcome.

“It was bad all the 24 hours,” said Kubica. “Unfortunately, it has happened when we fit the race gearbox.

“We thought this is something related with the settings, but it was not, so it was a tough one, especially in some particular corners.

“It was really, really on the edge and adding another stress.

“We managed – we tried to help with the driving style with brake shapes and stuff like this, but in the end it was just covering the issue, not curing it.”

Alongside the gearbox troubles, Kubica and his team-mates also faced some tetchy moments on the radio as the three Ferraris squabbled for position, a situation the Pole described as creating some “unnecessary risk”.

Ultimately, Kubica brought the yellow Ferrari across the line to complete a hat-trick of outright wins for the Prancing Horse.

He spent over three-and-a-half hours in the car to conclude the race, successfully negotiating a quintuple stint.

“After not sleeping for 35 hours, it’s easy to make mistakes, but for a 40-year-old guy still managed to be in good shape and yeah happy to contribute for this win,” he added.

Kubica narrowly missed out on triumphing on his Le Mans debut in 2021, when the LMP2 machine he shared with Ye and Louis Deletraz retired from the lead on the final lap with throttle sensor issues, so he was delighted to see the chequered flag this time.

“It was a very special day and for sure I didn’t expect it [the victory],” he said.

“When I came first time here in Le Mans in 2021, I felt like a small child discovering new events, new racing, something which gave me really a nice feeling like when I was racing karting many, many years ago. So then I knew my objective, my goal was to one day try to win.”