Is It Too Late for Robert Kubica to Snatch Championship?

So Robert Kubica's a bit of an enigma in my eyes. Don't worry, I'm about to explain why.

This is the guy who, before the season pretty much began, had already dismissed himself from fighting for the title. And unless they were driving a Ferrari or McLaren, most of the other drivers felt this way too. Can you really blame them?

There is hardly ever room for the little guys. It is a truth that we F1 fans have to bitterly acknowledge. We accept deep down that the constructors title can only be won by two teams, and it is not particularly hard to guess which teams.

But it is in the cockpit that there is a difference made. It is here where a driver can either flourish or diminish.

And Robert has certainly been flourishing. In Australia, he would certainly have gotten pole position had he not made an off track excursion, yet he still managed second. That race would have been excellent indeed had he not been crashed into by Nakajima.

In Malaysia, having driven a lonely race where he had been 20 seconds behind Kimi Raikkonen, and 20 seconds ahead of Heikki Kovalainen in a Finn sandwich, he got his first podium of the year.

Need I say anything about Bahrain since the media said it all, with the predictable, but enjoyable headline "Pole on Pole." He had beaten the superior cars to the front of the grid. And even after the BMW mechanics had neglected to mention the oil on the track, he still managed to bring home a second podium for the Swiss/German based team.

A neat fourth place followed after the return to Europe, and he pocketed a handful of points. He also added another trophy to his collection in Monaco, with another second place.

We now return to Canada, the site of Robert’s 2007 horror crash. No doubt his memories of the place are now only happy ones, after a certain somebody neglected their brakes. He was now part of the minority of drivers who have won a race this season. BMW ruined the Ferrari party; they were now no longer the only team to have enjoyed a 1–2.

But even after this Robert was still dismissing any title chances. He led the hunt for the WDC, but insisted that he would not win. This race was followed by miserable ones, and BMW have not recovered truly since.

So it seems odd that Kubica recently released a statement about how he was going to keep fighting for the title, despite being in a less enviable position than merely a few months back, where he was point-blank denying his chances.

But he has every hope, and every right to keep fighting. Despite being in an inferior car, he is currently separating the two Ferraris in the table, and those who follow the sport know that a single DNF can make a huge impact on the final result.

I’m still supporting Kimi all the way to Interlagos, but if he does fail to win his second championship this year, I hope it that it is Robert Kubica he loses to.