Now that the media's honeymoon with Lewis Hamilton has soured somewhat, other young drivers are receiving attention. In a recent poll of fans regarding "the best" driver of the moment, I noticed that Robert Kubica has become one of the favorites, out-stripping Hamilton for number of votes. This is interesting, given that Kubica's history is very different from the British star's.
Robert Kubica
Lewis is often accused of having everything handed to him on a plate; while I do not think that this is a completely fair assessment, there is no doubt that his McLaren backing assisted greatly in his path to F1. In contrast, Robert's rise to fame was much more of a struggle and he achieved success largely through his own efforts.
The strength of Robert's belief in himself can be imagined by consideration of his decision to move to Italy at the age of thirteen to further his career. He did this on his own, his family being unable to accompany him, and set himself the task of learning a new language at the same time as securing support from CRG, an Italian kart manufacturer.
As an outstanding new talent, Robert came to the notice of Daniele Morelli who agreed to become his manager for his progress through the usual single seater route of Formula Renault 2000, Formula 3 Euro Series and the World Series by Renault. He won the WSR championship in 2005 and was given a test by the Renault F1 team - at which point, the BMW team stepped in and signed him to a test driving contract for 2006.
That was the heyday for test drivers, their last hurrah perhaps, with plenty of mileage and exposure at GPs as the teams used them to the full. Robert rapidly became very noticeable indeed, often topping the Friday times in a car that was a long way from being the best. With Jacques Villeneuve seemingly off form in one of the race seats, Dr Theissen suggested that Kubica be given a few race drives to extend his experience.
That was the moment when all Robert's hard work paid off. Jacques refused to be replaced even for one race and stormed off in a huff; Robert became the second driver with several races left in the season. And we all know what happened - those races became a phenomenal debut for the Pole, including a podium finish at the Italian GP, and the F1 world sat up and took notice.
Yet 2007 was not an easy year for Robert. Expectations were high that he would have the legs of his experienced team mate, Nick Heidfeld, but this was not the case. For most of the year, Nick stayed ahead and ended the season with 22 more championship points than his young team mate. That was last year, however - this season Robert has been the quicker of the two and is in contention for the WDC.
The difference between Robert's and Hamilton's careers is perhaps reflected most obviously in their public statements. While Lewis has been criticized for some ill-judged remarks, Robert shows a greater maturity and clarity of purpose that is beyond reproach. When asked about the possibility of a drivers' strike over the increase in license fees, Robert made it very clear that he was there to race and money was very much a minor consideration.
It may be that as expectations of the Pole increase, he might be distracted by the hype - but I doubt it. It is his level head that has brought him to this stage in career and there is no reason why he should be diverted after such a long battle through the lower formulae. He is a well-balanced, serious young man with a talent that grows race by race and is likely to be one of the top F1 drivers for a long time to come.