What Formula 1 Teaches Us About Comebacks and Character

Last Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix on Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was notable for a dramatic collision between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris whilst battling for fourth place. 

As the leading championship protagonists the one thing McLaren’s Zak Brown asks of his drivers is that they avoid each other and get both cars to the finish line. Norris’s misjudgement on the pit straight resulted in his immediate retirement and was fortunate not to have destroyed Piastri’s race as well.  

It was a significant error of judgement, one Norris was quick to apologise for.  

Given that Piastri went on to finish fourth, extending his championship lead to 22 points, it may well be this moment of Montreal madness could prove to be a pivotal moment in this year’s title fight.  

In Formula 1, the approach to handling mistakes and making unforced errors is clear. Learn from them. Never repeat them and use such failures to fuel future success. 

There’s no shortage of examples of drivers overcoming adversity during their careers, and perhaps one of the most powerful stories started in Montreal 18 years ago and, coincidentally, reached a climax last Sunday while Norris and Piastri were doing battle. 

In 2007, Polish star Robert Kubica - then driving for the BMW Sauber team - suffered a truly catastrophic crash at the Canadian Grand Prix. His car launched off the back of a Toyota, slammed into a concrete wall and then barrel-rolled across the track before coming to rest on its side near the hairpin.  

To everyone's astonishment, he not only walked away from the crash but was back in the car soon after. One year later, on the same track, Kubica won the Canadian Grand Prix - his first and only Formula 1 victory, and the only win for BMW Sauber during their ill-starred partnership. 

In the seasons which followed, neither BMW nor his subsequent team, Renault, gave Kubica a car worth of his talents. His big break looked set to come in 2012 with a Ferrari contract reportedly on the table. 

Fate had other plans. During a rally in 2011, Kubica suffered a second catastrophic accident, which left him with life-changing injuries to his arm and hand. His F1 career looked to be over. Indeed, few could imagine him ever driving a car again. 

Through sheer resilience and determination, he returned.  Not only to rallying - winning the WRC-2 title - but also to Formula 1, first as a reserve driver and then in 2019 with a full-time seat at Williams. Despite limited competitiveness that year, his comeback stood as a testament to extraordinary mental strength: competing at the highest level of motorsport with only one fully functioning arm and hand. 

Which brings us to last weekend, for while we watched Norris and Piastri fighting it out in Montreal, Robert Kubica was celebrating victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans - one of the most iconic races in the world - driving for Ferrari alongside his two co-drivers Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson. 

 It is not too strong a point to state that this was one of the most heroic and remarkable performances we have seen in motorsport history.  It befits everything we know about Robert, his unwillingness to give up plus a physical and mental resilience which should act as an inspiration for us all. 

Compared to Kubica’s journey, Lando Norris can reflect on the fact that his error in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix is inconsequential.  A racing incident of the kind which can occur during any driver’s career, but one which should give him an opportunity to learn, refocus and come back stronger.