Kubica reflects on first circuit racing podium since 2010
Robert Kubica says he was delighted to end a circuit racing podium drought stretching back to 2010 with a third-place finish in the penultimate round of the DTM season at Zolder.

Kubica qualified 10th on the grid for the second of the two races at the Belgian venue on Sunday, and took advantage of the ensuing chaos ahead of him to jump to sixth place early on.
The Polish driver decided to extend his first stint and was last of the drivers to come into the pits on lap 18, with the strategic gamble allowing him to leapfrog the Audis of Mike Rockenfeller and Jamie Green to move up to fourth.
Equipped with fresher tyres, Kubica reeled in the WRT Audi of Ferdinand Habsburg with ease 12 laps from the finish, eventually finishing third behind championship protagonists Rene Rast and Nico Muller.
It marked Kubica’s first podium finish in his rookie DTM season with customer BMW squad ART, and his first in a top-level racing series since his drive to third place in the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix with the Renault F1 team.
Kubica admitted that an incident-packed race that saw six retirements played a part in his rostrum finish, but felt the result was “payoff” for the mechanics who rebuilt his car overnight following technical troubles in Saturday’s Race 1.
“Yeah, for sure it’s unexpected,” Kubica said after the race. “I think today we used our opportunities. Of course we were not able to finish on the podium [on merit alone], but [apart from] what happened in front of us [we] also [showed] quite good pace in crucial moments.
“After yesterday we had a DNF with some technical issues, I think it’s great payoff for hardwork from the guys.
“It feels as a podium. It’s been a long time I haven’t been on the podium. Still third is not a win, but realistically we couldn't expect this. We take it home.
“Quite important moment because in the end we joined the DTM this season and we had really difficult start of the year. I think this podium is great feeling, great day.
“Third is not a win but still better than being off the podium.”

Robert Kubica, Orlen Team ART, BMW M4 DTM
Photo by: Andreas Beil
Kubica had endured a largely frustrating rookie campaign prior to the Zolder weekend, having scored a single point in the first seven rounds courtesy of a 10th place finish at Assen.
While the Polish driver’s lack of results are largely down to his and ART’s limited experience in the DTM, their manufacturer of choice BMW has also been forced to play second fiddle to Audi in the second year of the Class One era.
BMW has scored just two victories in the opening 16 races of the year, allowing Audi to secure a clean sweep of manufacturers’, teams’ and drivers’ titles.
Kubica admitted that he couldn’t have expected to finish on the podium in 2020 given his and BMW’s lack of pace this season.
“Well to be honest looking at the season so far, we were struggling to enter top 10 for different reasons,” Kubica said when asked if he thought a podium was possible this season.
“I think lately the performance was better but bit inconsistent. Unfortunately we had some technical issues like Saturday [at Zolder], like in Nurburgring. Few mistakes, few operational misunderstandings.
“To be honest I didn’t even think about it. I was always waking up and thinking of extracting maximum what it is. We have seen in DTM that it is a bit of rollercoaster. Especially it looks like with BMWs, you can be one day a hero and another day far behind.”
Related video

Previous article
Zolder DTM: Rast takes dominant win, Kubica on the podium
Next article
New DTM leader Rast didn't expect 66-point swing in Zolder

About this article
Series | DTM |
Event | Zolder II |
Drivers | Robert Kubica |
Author | Rachit Thukral |
Kubica reflects on first circuit racing podium since 2010
Trending
WRT Team Audi Sport – 2020 DTM Season Review
DTM 2020: Audi bids farewell
DTM: Hockenheim - Race 2 Highlights
DTM 2020: Race 1 highlights – Hockenheim
DTM: Hockenheim - Race 1 Highlights
The slow-burner threatening to unseat Audi's DTM king
It's taken him a while to emerge as a consistent title challenger, but in the final year of DTM's Class One ruleset, Nico Muller has smoothed the rough edges and has double champion stablemate Rene Rast working harder than ever to keep up in the title race.
Does 2000 hold the answers to the DTM's current crisis?
It's 20 years since the DTM roared back into life at a packed Hockenheim with a back-to-basics approach as the antidote to its high-tech past. Now it's on its knees again, so is it time to recall the lessons learned in 2000?
Ranking the 10 best Audi DTM drivers
Audi last week announced it would be exiting the DTM at the end of 2020, bringing the curtain down on 20 years of continuous participation since the series' reboot in 2000.
Why the DTM must reinvent itself after Audi exit
Audi's announcement that it will withdraw from the DTM at the end of 2020 was the latest blow for a series that has lost three manufacturers in as many years. Some major soul-searching will now be required to assess how it can survive.
Why cynic Berger changed his mind over green tech in racing
DTM boss Gerhard Berger was a detractor of Formula E and held a reluctance for his series to embrace greener engine technologies. However, this cynic's tune has had to change to ensure DTM's existence as the motorsport world moves forward
What the fallout from Aston's engine split means for 2020
Aston Martin's DTM arrival, via the R-Motorsport outfit, was heralded as a salvation of sorts for the series. After plenty of bumps in the road in 2019, the team finds itself in a similar position to the one it was in 12 months ago. Can it get its act together?
How the DTM and Super GT can build on their experiment
The Class One 'Dream Race' staged by the DTM and SUPER GT proved a hit - from a competitive and collaborative standpoint. The next step will be for both parties to ensure a successful trial ends up being more than just that.
Robot pitcrews and hydrogen – is DTM's concept plausible?
DTM organiser ITR has mooted a radical plan for a "truly new and inspiring" future motorsport series. How realistic are its suggestions of automated pitstops and 1000bhp hydrogen-fuelled touring cars?