Polish Australian

Paweł Strzelecki • Karl Kruszelnicki Peter Luczak • Michael Kasprowicz • Yvonne Strahovski • Michael Klim • Samantha Stosur • Mia Wasikowska • Natalie Gruzlewski • Alicia Molik
Total population
163,802 (by ancestry, 2006) 52,254 (by birth, 2006)
Regions with significant populations
Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide
Languages
Australian English, Polish
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic with Protestant and Jewish minorities.

Poland has been a source country of immigrants to Australia, in particular in the post-war period. Immigration from Poland has long tapered off, with Polish Australian population now part of the mainstream Australian community.

Demography[link]

In 2006 52,254 Australian residents declared they were born in Poland. Cities with the largest Polish populations were Melbourne (16,439), Sydney (12,514), Adelaide (5,859) and Perth (5,142).^[1]

The Polish-born Australian resident population predominantly were Australian citizens (90.3%), Christian (82.4%) and used Polish at home (70.0%). Around 78% arrived in Australia before 1990 ^[2].

In addition, in 2006 163,802 Australian residents declared they had Polish ancestry, either alone or in combination with one other ancestry.^[3]

A significant group of Polish-Australian residents may be today the expatriate community of Polish descent from many countries, like the United States, Canada, France, and Great Britain, where numbers of members of the Polonia are counted in millions or hundreds of thousands. A well known example of this is kind of Polish Australian is the Nobel Prize-winning writer J.M. Coetzee, a South African with partially Polish origins who has recently immigrated and settled in Australia.

History[link]

The first Pole known to have arrived in Australia was Joseph Potaski, who was sent there as a convict from Great Britain in 1803. The first settlers from Poland arrived in South Australia in 1856 and settled in the Clare Valley region in a place later called Polish Hill River. The first mass migration happened in the late 1940s when large groups of displaced persons who could not return to a free Poland migrated to Australia after World War II, including soldiers from the Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade ("rats of Tobruk"). Between 1947 and 1954, the Poland-born population increased from 6,573 to 56,594 people.

In the early 1980s there was further Polish migration to Australia. The emergence of the Solidarity trade union movement and the declaration of martial law in Poland at the end of 1981 coincided with a further relaxation of Polish emigration laws. During the period 1980-91 Australia granted permanent entry to a large number of Polish migrants, many arriving as refugees who soon got a reputation for being hard working. In 1991, an independent, voluntary organisation was established to inform the Australian public about issues related to Polish history, politics, society and culture. The immediate trigger for establishing The Australian Institute of Polish Affairs (also known as AIPA) was strong public interest in the historic changes that swept Central Europe in 1989 and led to the collapse of communism.

Notable Polish Australians[link]

Business[link]

• Richard Pratt (CEO, Visy)
• Ziggy Switkowski (CEO, Telstra)

Entertainers[link]

• Matthew Dyktynski (actor)
• Marzena Godecki (actress)
• Natalie Gruzlewski (presenter of Getaway and The Farmer Wants A Wife)
• David Helfgott (pianist, as portrayed in the film Shine)
• Karl Kruszelnicki (scientist/entertainer)
• Nina Landis (actress)
• Guido Lorraine (actor)
• Phil Rudd (drummer) of AC/DC
• Yvonne Strahovski (actress)
• Magda Szubanski (comedian)
• Keith Urban (singer/songwriter)
• Mia Wasikowska (actress)
• Viva Bianca (actress)

Sport[link]

• Alicia Molik (tennis)
• Samantha Stosur (tennis)
• Peter Luczak (tennis)
• Paul Slowinski (kickboxing)
• Jim Krakouer and son Andrew J. Krakouer (Australian rules football)
• David Wojcinski (Australian rules football)
• James Wesolowski (Football (soccer))
• David Sierakowski (Australian rules football)
• Brian Sierakowski (Australian rules football)
• Clinton Schifcofske (rugby league)
• Jason Krejza (cricket)
• John Kosmina (Football (soccer))
• David Tarka (Football (soccer))
• Stuart Musialik (Football (soccer))
• Daniel Piorkowski (Football (soccer))
• Olivia Rogowska (Tennis)
• Michael Klim (swimming)
• Daniel Kowalski (swimming)
• Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Football (soccer))
• Monique Adamczak (tennis)

Academia[link]

• Anna Wierzbicka (linguistics)
• Jerzy Zubrzycki (sociology)
• Jerzy Smolicz (sociology)
• Henry Millicer (aeronautical engineering)

Other[link]

• J.M. Coetzee (South African-Australian writer with Polish roots, 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature winner)
• Paul Strzelecki (explorer who named Mount Kosciuszko)
• Andrew Ziolkowski (NSW politician)
• Martin Pakula (VIC politician)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Polish Community Council of Australia

• An article on the use of the Polish language by Polish Australians, specifically those in Melbourne:
  • Fitzgerald, M. and Debski, R. (2006). Internet Use of Polish by Polish Melburnians: Implications for Maintenance and Teaching. Language Learning and Technology, 10(1), 87-109. Retrieved 10 August 2006 from http://llt.msu.edu/vol10num1/fitzdebski/default.html .

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John Maver (born 1932) is an Australian pianist and composer.

Maver was born in Sydney, where he studied the piano: first under Miss Purcell of Botany Bay, then with Kathleen Horne and Ramsay Pennycuick. As a student of the NSW Conservatorium of Music, he studied piano with the noted pianist/composer Frank Hutchens (a pupil of Tobias Matthay), and composition with Raymond Hanson. In Sydney, he performed on radio 2CH, gave recitals and taught before sailing for London in 1968.

Since then, he has given a wide range of concerts, including the Wimbledon Summer Festival, Leighton House, and a much-publicised 1981 Royal Wedding Day concert at St. Martin-within-Ludgate.

He is one of the very few composer-pianists on the circuit today. In addition to a wide repertoire of neo-classical music and virtuoso Romantic music, he has established a considerable reputation with the performances of his own compositions, as well as his own poetry (Albion Enigma) and he has presented concerts of extemporised keyboard work. He has worked with Ballet Rambert, the Royal Ballet, Arts Educational Schools and the mime artists Adam Darius and Nathaniel. He was also Musical Director of the International Arts Centre—participating in an American production (Pantomime) of Hansel and Gretel.

John Boswell Maver.

Maver returned to Australia for two years' sojourn, where he continued to give recitals, most notably for the Polish-Australian Cultural Society (which was filmed) and performances at the Sydney Opera House with the Australian Ballet and the English dancer Maina Gielgud for a television film Frozen Music He also appeared in the Sydney Spectacular for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. At the same time he made himself known as an actor—appearing in TV. Series, commercials, and feature films—chief among which have been Bodyline, The Last Bastion playing opposite Timothy West, Land of Hope, and Burke and Wills-in the role of conductor (an operatic sequence with Greta Scacchi).

Returning to Britain in 1986, Maver resumed his career with a performance of his Toccata Australis, a substantial work which has been well praised by many international pianists including Vladimir Horowitz, Nelson Friere, and Shura Cherkassky. This work was first performed in Britain by Alan Brown. The American virtuoso pianist Janice Weber has praised several of Maver's compositions as "Very Horowitzian"; an Étude for the Left Hand Alone as "Very effective. Sounds as difficult as it is." He has recorded a programme of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Franz Liszt, in addition to his own compositions and extemporisations.

An unpublished novel has been completed, he has established himself as a photographer in the casual style and has exhibited a collection of photos charting the rebuilding of part of the Arts Educational Schools (theatre) in Chiswick. Recently a London photo agency has accepted some of his photographic work to be included in their catalogue. Photographs have featured in the local press, Musical Theatre Pantomime Programmes, Spotlight, C.D record Covers, and the Kyoto Gardens Exhibition portfolio.

He is related to Sir Harry Lauder, the Scots baritone, music hall singer and composer.

Maver compositions for piano[link]

• Etude No. 1 in C Sharp Minor, 1985.

• Etude No. 2 in C Sharp Minor, 1987.
• Tzigane Etude, 1988.
• Etude. For the Left Hand Alone, 1992.
• Toccata "Australis", 1983.
• Soiree de Vienne, 1985.
  • Die Fledermaus Johann Strauss, Concert Transcription, John Maver
  • Soiree de Madison Square Garden
  • Concert arrangement of The Stars Stripes Forever (John Philip Sousa) / John Maver, 1985
• Paraphrase On A Prelude' (Prelude op.43 no.1 Reinhold Gliere), John Maver, 1996.
• Encore Etude/ John Maver, 1995.
• Hungarian Dance no.7 (Johannes Brahms), Concert Transcription, John Maver, 1996.
• Sabre Dance (Aram Khachaturian), Concert Transcription/ John Maver, 1997.
• Carmen Etude
  • (Gypsy Song, Act 2, Carmen (George Bizet), Concert Transcription, John Maver, 1997.
• Wiegenlied (song) Richard Strauss
  • Lullaby—Bereceuse, op 40(a) no.1
  • Piano Solo Arrangement/ John Maver,1997.

• Paganini Etude
  • Eight variations on Caprice no.24, Niccolò Paganini, 2000.
• 5 Easy pieces (For Children), 1974.
  • Indian and Soldier.
  • The Tortoise.
  • Two Cuckoos (Basis for Toccata 'Australis').
  • Rain.
  • Valse.
• 5 Pieces for Ballet,1968.
  • Valse Lente.
  • George Street Rag.
  • Minor march.

• • Little Mephisto Waltz.
  • Melodie.
• Serenade (Franz Schubert), piano Solo Version, John Maver, Bagatelle, 2000.
• Caprice-Etude, 2001.
• I got Rhythm (George Gershwin), Concert Transcription/ John Maver, 2002.
• Deep Purple (Song) Billy de Rose, arrangement, John Maver, 2002.
• Toccata,2003. from (Australis), original version with extra Cadenza, John Maver.
• Botany Bay Waltz/ John Maver, 2004.
• Toccata-Etude, John Maver, 2004.
• Boogie Etude, John Maver, 2004.
• Little Mephisto Waltz. John Maver, 2004.
• Rimsky-Etude 2009
• Paganini-Etude 2010
• Turkish March-Beethoven/Arrangement John Maver 2010
• Carmen Encore, John Maver 2011

External links[link]

• Maver - Etude No.1 C Sharp Minor on google video
• - Pianist John Maver playing Sabre dance arr.by Maver , shot No 2.
• -Pianist John Maver improvisation.
• - Pianist John Maver Playing Don't explain-Billie Holliday+ Chopin Prelude C minor
• - Pianist John Boswell Maver Playing Sabre dance-Khachaturian arr.J.Maver.
• - Pianist John Boswell Maver Playing Bethena-Scott Joplin. arr. J.Maver.
• - Pianist John Boswell Maver Playing Ecossaises-Beethoven/Busoni arr. J.Maver.
• - Pianist John boswell maver Playing Paganini-Encore , Extemporization no 2.
• - Pianist John boswell maver Playing Aria-Bwv-512 Bach.
• - John Boswell Maver's Photographic Works
• - John Boswell Maver's Website

John Eastburn Boswell (March 20, 1947 – December 24, 1994) was a prominent historian and a professor at Yale University. Many of Boswell's studies focused on the issue of homosexuality and religion, specifically homosexuality and Christianity.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Boswell studied at the College of William and Mary, where he converted to Roman Catholicism. His first book, Royal Treasure: Muslim Communities Under the Crown of Aragon in the Fourteenth Century, appeared in 1977. In 1994, Boswell's fourth book, Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe, was published, but he died that same year from AIDS-related complications.

Biography[link]

Born in Boston in 1947 into a military family, Boswell earned his undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary, where he converted to Roman Catholicism.^{[citation needed]} A gifted medieval philologist, he worked in, among other languages, Catalan, Old Church Slavonic, Ancient Greek, Arabic, and Latin^{[citation needed]}. Boswell received his doctorate from Harvard University in 1975 and joined the Yale University history faculty, where his colleagues included John Morton Blum, David Brion Davis, Jaroslav Pelikan,John Demos, Peter Gay, Hanna Holborn Gray, Michael Howard, Donald Kagan, Howard R. Lamar, Edmund S. Morgan, Jonathan Spence, Robin W. Winks, and C. Vann Woodward. Boswell was made full professor in 1982. In 1987, Boswell helped organize and found the Lesbian and Gay Studies Center at Yale, which is now the Research Fund for Lesbian and Gay Studies. He was named the A. Whitney Griswold Professor of History in 1990, when he was also appointed to a two-year term as chair of the Yale history department. Boswell was a gifted and devoted teacher. His undergraduate lectures in medieval history were renowned for their organization, erudition, and wit, with the course often making the "top 10" for highest enrollment. To enhance the novelty and high interest in his classes, the multi-talented Boswell would often pen his comments on student papers in perfectly executed italic script.

Books[link]

The Royal Treasure (1977) is a detailed historical study of the Mudéjar Muslims in Aragon in the 14th century.

Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality (1980) is a ground-breaking and controversial work which, according to Chauncey et al. (1989), "offered a revolutionary interpretation of the Western tradition, arguing that the Roman Catholic Church had not condemned gay people throughout its history, but rather, at least until the twelfth century, had alternately evinced no special concern about homosexuality or actually celebrated love between men." Scholarly reactions varied. More importantly, the book brought forward a fresh emphasis on the crime of rape being the actual sin of Sodom, rather than the homosexual acts themselves. This idea calls into question any connection between gay people today and the Biblical Sodomites. The book won a National Book Award^[1][a] and the Stonewall Book Award in 1981, but Boswell's thesis was criticized by Warren Johansson, Wayne R. Dynes and John Lauritsen, who believed that he had attempted to whitewash the historic crimes of the Christian Church against gay men.^[2]

The Kindness of Strangers: Child Abandonment in Western Europe from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance (1988) is a scholarly study of the widespread practice of abandoning unwanted children and the means by which society tries to care for them. The title, as Boswell states in the Introduction, is inspired by a puzzling phrase Boswell had found in a number of documents: aliena misericordia, which might at first seem to mean "a strange kindness", is better translated "the kindness of strangers."

The Marriage of Likeness: Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe (New York: Villard, 1994) argues that the adelphopoiia liturgy was evidence that the attitude of the Christian church towards homosexuality has changed over time, and that early Christians did on occasion accept same-sex relationships.^[3]

Rites of so-called "same-sex union" (Boswell's proposed translation) occur in ancient prayer-books of both the western and eastern churches. They are rites of adelphopoiesis, literally Greek for the making of brothers. Boswell, despite the fact that the rites explicitly state that the union involved in adelphopoiesis is a "spiritual" and not a "carnal" one, argued that these should be regarded as sexual unions similar to marriage. This is a highly controversial point of Boswell's text, as other scholars have dissenting views of this interpretation, and believe that they were instead rites of becoming adopted brothers, or "blood brothers".^[4][5][6] Boswell pointed out such evidence as an icon of two saints, Saints Sergius and Bacchus (at St. Catherine's on Mount Sinai), and drawings, such as one he interprets as depicting the wedding feast of Emperor Basil I to his "partner", John. Boswell sees Jesus as fulfilling the role of the "pronubus" or in modern parallel, best man.

Boswell made many detailed translations of these rites in Same-Sex Unions, and claimed that one mass gay wedding occurred only a couple of centuries ago in the Basilica of St John Lateran, the cathedral seat of the Pope as Bishop of Rome.

Boswell's writings touched off detailed debate in The Irish Times, and the article that triggered off the debate, a major feature in the "Rite and Reason" religion column in the paper by respected Irish historian and religious commentator Jim Duffy, has been reproduced on many websites.^[7]

Faith and sexuality[link]

Boswell was a Roman Catholic, having converted from the Episcopal Church of his upbringing at age 16. He remained a daily-mass Catholic up until his death, despite his differences with the church over sexual issues. Although he was orthodox in most of his beliefs, he strongly disagreed with his church's stated opposition to homosexual behavior and relationships. To a certain degree much of the work and research Boswell did regarding the Christian church's historical relationship with homosexuality can be seen as an attempt to reconcile his sexual orientation with his faith.

In "Revolutions, Universals, and Sexual Categories" (1982, revised), Boswell compares the constructionist–essentialist positions to the realist–nominalist dichotomy. He also lists three types of sexual taxonomies:

• All or most humans are polymorphously sexual ... external accidents, such as socio-cultural pressure, legal sanctions, religious beliefs, historical or personal circumstances determine the actual expression of each person's sexual feelings.
• Two or more sexual categories, usually, but not always based on sexual object choice.
• One type of sexual response [is] normal ... all other variants abnormal.

Death[link]

Boswell died of complications from AIDS in the Yale infirmary^[8] in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 24, 1994, at age 47.^[9]

Legacy[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

Although Boswell's earlier works did much to break down the taboo surrounding the serious study of homosexuality in American academia, by the end of his life Boswell was out of step with the main current of scholarly opinion. During the late 1980s, the influence of Michel Foucault's writings led to the emergence of a social constructivist view of human sexuality which emphasised the historical and cultural specificity of sexual identities such as 'heterosexual' and 'homosexual'. Despite Boswell's friendly relations with Foucault, he remained adamantly opposed to the French theorist's views, which he characterised as a reemergence of medieval nominalism, and defended his own striking essentialism in the face of changing academic fashions. Since his death, Boswell's work has come under criticism from medievalists and queer theorists, who—while acknowledging his personal courage in bringing the issue of sexuality into the academy—have pointed out the anachronism of speaking of 'gay people' in premodern societies and have questioned the validity of Boswell's conclusions.^[10][11] Several other scholars, including Terry Castle and Ruth Vanita, have followed in Boswell's footsteps, building up the field of lesbian and gay studies (as distinct from queer theory), and proposing that categorizations of humans by sexual predilection much predate the nineteenth century (where Foucault and his followers place it), both in the West (as in Plato's Symposium) and in other cultures (e.g., India).

Works[link]

• The Royal Treasure: Muslim Communities Under the Crown of Aragon in the Fourteenth Century (1977)–Online
• Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality (1980) —winner of the National Book Award^[1][a], ISBN 978-0226067117
• Rediscovering Gay History: Archetypes of Gay Love in Christian History (1982)
• The Kindness of Strangers: The Abandonment of Children in Western Europe from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance (1989)
• Homosexuality in the Priesthood and the Religious Life (1991) (co-author)
• Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe (1994), Villard Books, ISBN 0-679-43228-0

See also[link]

• Adelphopoiesis
• Homosexuality and the Bible
• Queer studies
• Queer theology

Notes[link]

References[link]

Citations

• Boswell, John (1989, 1982). "Revolutions, Universals, and Sexual Categories", Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay & Lesbian Past, Chauncey et al., eds. New York: Meridian, New American Library, Penguin Books. ISBN 0-452-01067-5.
• Chauncey et al., eds (1989). "Introduction", Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay & Lesbian Past (1990), New York: Meridian, New American Library, Penguin Books. ISBN 0-452-01067-5.

External links[link]

• PEOPLE WITH A HISTORY: John Boswell Page
• The Life of St. Theodore of Sykeon (7th Century)
• Royal Treasure: Muslim Communities Under the Crown of Aragon in the Fourteenth Century

Robert Kubica

Robert Kubica at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
Born	(1984-12-07) 7 December 1984 (age 27)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Polish
Active years	2006–2010
Teams	BMW Sauber, Renault
Races	76
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	12
Career points	273
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	1
First race	2006 Hungarian Grand Prix
First win	2008 Canadian Grand Prix
Last win	2008 Canadian Grand Prix
Last race	2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Robert Józef Kubica (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɔbɛrt kuˈbit͡sa] ( listen); born 7 December 1984 in Kraków, Poland) is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006. In June 2008, Kubica took his maiden F1 victory in the Canadian Grand Prix, becoming the 99th driver to win a World Championship race.

On 6 February 2011, Kubica was seriously injured in a crash at the Ronde di Andora rally, in which his forearm was partially severed.^[1] He was taking part in the rally for personal enjoyment.^[2] The Renault driver told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport in a bedside interview that he could feel the fingers in his right hand, and is determined to make a swift return to Formula One in 2011.^[3][4] Kubica had to miss the whole 2011 season, and although he is expected to fully recover from his injuries, his future in Formula One racing for the long term remained unclear. In November 2011, Kubica confirmed that he would not be ready for the start of the 2012 season.^[1][5]

Career[link]

Pre-Formula One[link]

Karting[link]

Kubica developed his love for all kinds of cars at the young age of four when he spotted a small off-road vehicle, powered by a 4 bhp (3.0 kW) petrol engine. After long talks with his parents, his father, Artur, bought him the car and young Kubica spent long hours driving around plastic bottles. When he got older it became apparent that he needed better equipment, so his father bought him a go-kart. However, Kubica was too young to start racing in the Polish Karting Championship as he was under the age of ten. When he entered the championship, he won six titles in three years. After his third season, Kubica decided to switch to a more competitive league in Italy. In 1998 Kubica became the first foreigner to win the International Italian Junior Karting Championship.

Kubica also scored second place in the European Junior Karting Championship and won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup held on part of the Formula One Grand Prix track. A year later, he defended his title in Italy and also competed in the International German Karting Championship. He also won the Monaco Kart Cup for the second time in a row, as well as the Margutti Trophy and Elf Masters races. In 2000, his last season in karting, Kubica scored fourth places in both the European and World Championships.

Junior formulae[link]

Kubica with the Epsilon Euskadi team

Kubica started his professional career in 2000, as a test driver for a Formula Renault 2000 car. During his first professional season in Formula Renault, Kubica scored his maiden pole position and also became a member of Renault's driver development programme. In 2002 Kubica won four races and scored a second place in the Italian Formula Renault 2000. He was also seventh in the Formula Renault Eurocup. At the end of the year he took part in a Brazilian Formula Renault 2000 race held at the Interlagos circuit. This one-off appearance resulted in a dominant win.

After Formula Renault, Kubica moved to the Formula Three Euro Series. However, his move was delayed by a road accident which left him with a broken arm, and titanium screws holding it together. At his delayed debut at Norisring, Kubica, driving with a plastic brace and 18 titanium bolts in his arm, won the race. He finished the season in 12th place. At the end of the year, Kubica won a street race in Sardinia and came fifth in races held in Macau and Korea. He ended his second season in the Formula 3 Euro Series, spent with the factory Mercedes team, in 7th position. In November 2004, he scored pole position in the Macau F3 Grand Prix, where he broke the lap record, but finished second in the race.

In 2005 he won the World Series by Renault championship with the Epsilon Euskadi team, earning Formula One tests with Renault.

Formula One (2006–present)[link]

BMW Sauber (2006–2009)[link]

2006[link]

In 2006, Kubica became the official reserve driver for the BMW Sauber Formula One team.^[6] His results in both Friday testing and private test sessions, along with the words of BMW Sauber team principal Mario Theissen, led to speculation that he would become Poland's first ever Formula One racing driver in 2007. In August 2006, Kubica's teammate, Jacques Villeneuve, complained about headaches after his accident during the German Grand Prix; he was deemed unfit to race by the team, against his own belief, and Kubica was chosen by the team management to replace him at the Hungarian Grand Prix.^[7] Kubica qualified ninth, beating his more experienced teammate Nick Heidfeld. In the race, he finished in seventh place, but was disqualified after the race for having an underweight car.^[8] Villeneuve decided to leave the BMW Sauber team soon after the race,^[9] and Kubica's position in the team for the remainder of the season was confirmed by BMW.^[10]

Kubica as BMW Sauber's third driver at the 2006 United States Grand Prix

Kubica had a more disappointing race at the Turkish Grand Prix, finishing in 12th place after a mistake in tyre choice. Heidfeld, who was delayed in a first-corner accident, placed behind Kubica. In his third race, the Italian Grand Prix, Kubica finished in third position, and became the first Polish driver to appear on a Formula One podium, as well as the first Polish driver to lead a Grand Prix. He was the first driver since Alexander Wurz in 1997 to finish on the podium within his first three Formula One starts.

In China, he finished 13th, again after a mistake in tyre choice. After going off track at the first turn of the race, he moved from 17th position to fifth, before pitting. He was the first to change from intermediate tyres to dry tyres after the wet track started to dry. This decision was made too early: a very slow next lap in extremely wet and slippery conditions and another pit stop to change back to intermediates cost him his place in the points.

2007[link]

Kubica driving for BMW Sauber at the 2007 British Grand Prix

Kubica performed well during the 2007 season, finishing consistently in point scoring positions. At the Canadian Grand Prix Kubica had a serious crash approaching the hairpin on lap 27, in which his car made contact with Jarno Trulli's Toyota, and hit a hump in the grass which lifted the car's nose into the air and left him unable to brake or steer. The car then hit the concrete retaining wall and rolled as it came back across the track, striking the opposite wall on the outside of the hairpin and coming to rest on its side.^[11] The speed measured when his car clipped the barrier was 300.13 km/h (186.49 mph), at a 75-degree angle, subjecting Kubica to an average deceleration of 28 g. After data from the onboard accident data recorder had been analysed it was found that he had been subjected to a peak G-force of 75 G.^[12] Under safety car conditions, Kubica was removed from the car and taken to the circuit's medical centre, where he was announced to be "stable", although no information regarding potential injuries was known at this time. Shortly afterwards, his manager Daniele Morelli said Kubica was conscious and talking.^[13] It was initially reported that Kubica could have a broken leg.^[14] However, Mario Theissen later confirmed that he was not seriously injured.^[15][16] Further reports from late evening on race day, directly from the hospital, confirmed that Kubica had suffered a light concussion alongside a sprained ankle. After being kept in overnight for observation, Kubica left hospital the following day.^[17] On 14 June it was announced that as a precaution, Kubica would not race at the United States Grand Prix and would be replaced by test driver Sebastian Vettel.^[18] After missing Indianapolis, he returned for the French Grand Prix where he qualified and finished in fourth place, receiving ITV broadcaster Martin Brundle's driver of the day award. He then went on to finish fourth again at the British Grand Prix.

2008[link]

Kubica's retention as race driver for 2008 was confirmed on 21 August 2007.^[19] Over the first half of the season, Kubica qualified and finished strongly, including his and BMW Sauber's first pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix and second place finishes at the Malaysian and Monaco Grands Prix.

Kubica achieved the first win of his F1 career at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

On 8 June 2008 at the Canadian Grand Prix, Kubica achieved his first Formula 1 victory. He started second on the grid and passed race leader Lewis Hamilton in the first round of pitstops after the BMW Sauber pit crew completed a faster pitstop. On leaving the pits, Kubica and Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari halted at the pit lane exit, waiting for the red pit exit light to change. Hamilton, running immediately behind them, missed the light and crashed into Räikkönen's Ferrari, eliminating both cars from the race. Kubica rejoined the race well positioned for the eventual victory. He passed Heidfeld's sister BMW Sauber, running one refuelling stop to Kubica's two stop strategy, and gained the necessary 24 seconds over Heidfeld to ensure that he maintained the lead after his second stop 22 laps later. The BMW Saubers remained first and second to the end of the race.^[20] Kubica later joked that he should thank Hamilton for electing to crash into Räikkönen instead of him.^[21] The win gave Kubica the lead in the drivers' championship.

BMW Sauber's results were weaker over the second half of the season. At the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, Kubica finished 5th, reporting that this was a lost race, complaining about aerodynamic problems with the car.^{[citation needed]} Kubica's strongest result of the latter part of the year was in Japan where he qualified sixth. At the start, several drivers braked too late for the first corner. Kubica took an inside line overtaking several cars and emerged in the lead. He led for 16 laps, but lost his lead to Fernando Alonso at the first round of pit stops. Kubica finished second after defending his position towards the end of the race against Räikkönen in a faster Ferrari (his fastest race lap was 0.6 seconds quicker than the Pole's)^[22][23] Apart from that, Kubica achieved podiums in the Street race in Valencia and in the rain affected race at Monza. Kubica finished the year fourth in the drivers' championship.

2009[link]

Kubica driving for BMW Sauber at the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix

At the 2009 season opener in Melbourne, Kubica managed to qualify fourth on the grid. During the race, he was in third place and closing the gap to the front two cars before making contact with Sebastian Vettel while trying to overtake him. After the incident, Kubica continued briefly, but crashed into a wall at the next corner because his front wing had become stuck under the car.^[24] Vettel was later deemed responsible for the accident, and given a 10-place penalty on the grid for the next race in Malaysia.^[25]

BMW motorsport director, Mario Theissen, claimed that Kubica would have won the race ahead of Jenson Button had it not been for Vettel.^[26]

Kubica at the 2009 British Grand Prix

At the Malaysian Grand Prix, Kubica qualified in eighth place, but was promoted to sixth following Vettel's ten-place grid penalty for causing the crash in Australia, and Rubens Barrichello's five-place grid drop for changing his gearbox. However, he retired very early in the race with engine problems. The next two races, the Chinese Grand Prix and the Bahrain Grand Prix were disappointing for the BMW Sauber team as both Kubica and his teammate Heidfeld finished outside the points with a non-competitive car. For the next race in Barcelona, BMW Sauber prepared a modified version of the F1.09. The car proved more competitive but a mistake in fitting the tyres to Kubica's car during Q3 meant he could only qualify in 10th position. In the race, after a bad start (due to a clutch issue)^[27] he finished once more out of the points. Kubica suffered from an engine failure during second practice in Monaco, and retired from the Grand Prix due to a brake issue. At the Turkish Grand Prix, the team introduced the double diffuser. The car's performance improved and Kubica managed to score his first points of the season with a 7th place. In the next 3 races both BMW Sauber drivers finished outside the points again, but during the European and Belgian Grands Prix again proved to be competitive, scoring 8th and 4th positions respectively. In Italy, Kubica suffered engine trouble in qualifying and then retired from the race due to an oil leak. At the Singapore Grand Prix, Kubica finished 8th, defending his position from Kazuki Nakajima and Räikkönen in the last laps. He later stated it was "the most difficult point I have ever scored".^[28][29] At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Kubica scored his first podium of the season despite engine temperature problems by finishing in 2nd place, 7.6 seconds behind winner Mark Webber. The podium was BMW's second of the season.

On 29 July 2009, BMW announced that they would leave Formula One at the end of 2009, which made Kubica a free agent for the 2010 season.^[30][31] For the 2010 season, it was announced that he had signed for Renault F1, the team he tested for during his junior career.^[32]

Renault (2010–2011)[link]

2010[link]

Kubica driving for Renault at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening round of the season.

Kubica moved to the Renault team for 2010. His position was briefly put in doubt, however, by the team evaluating its future in the sport following the 2009 season in the wake of the "Crashgate" scandal and the parent company's financial problems. This resulted in a Luxembourg-based investment firm, Genii Capital, taking a 75% stake in the team; Renault retaining the remaining 25%.^[33] Eric Boullier was also appointed as the new team manager. Kubica said he might not stay with Renault, as his contract was only valid if the parent company had a controlling stake in the team, but he then decided to remain with them.^[34][35] On 31 January 2010, it was announced that Vitaly Petrov was to be Kubica's team-mate.

It was reported in Autosport that Ferrari driver Felipe Massa had until the 2010 British Grand Prix to prove the Maranello outfit that he is worth hanging onto or Kubica could take his seat in 2011.^[36] However Ferrari re-signed Massa for 2011, leaving Kubica without a seat at the Italian team.

On 7 July 2010, it was confirmed that Kubica had extended his contract with Renault to 2012.^[37]

Kubica scored both his and the team's best result of the year with second place at the Australian Grand Prix.

At the opening race of the 2010 season in Bahrain, Kubica was tagged by Adrian Sutil and spun on the opening lap but recovered to 11th. At the next race in Australia, he finished second after starting in ninth position. Fourth in Malaysia and fifth in China left him in seventh place in the drivers' championship, 20 points behind championship leader Jenson Button. Kubica felt that had there not been a second safety car period in China he could have finished on the podium. In Spain he finished eighth, but followed this up with another podium in Monaco, holding third throughout after losing second at the start to Sebastian Vettel. At the Turkish Grand Prix, he was held up behind Nico Rosberg for the second time in the season after Malaysia, and finished sixth.

In Canada, Kubica finished seventh after an eventful race and problems with tyre degradation which made his race difficult,^[38] but did set the first fastest lap of his career in the race's closing stages. He added a fifth in Valencia and seventh in Germany before taking his third podium of the season in Belgium. He was competitive throughout the weekend, qualifying third, and only a bungled pitstop cost him second to Mark Webber. In Singapore, he qualified eighth in front of Schumacher. During the late stages of the race, he was forced to pit from sixth place due to a puncture. He was released from the pits to twelfth place, but with the help from superior grip and a series of overtaking moves—his move against Sutil was favourably compared to the incident between Webber and Hamilton—was able to claim seventh place, ultimately gaining a place from his qualifying result. In Suzuka, he managed to trail the Red Bulls throughout the weekend and translated it into a strong third place in qualifying. However, despite getting a good start and overtaking Webber at the start of the race, but would retire during the safety car period after losing one of his rear tyres.

Formula One journalist Mark Hughes remarked that Kubica is currently "arguably the best driver", considering the season so far. He emphasised Kubica's strong showing in tracks where Hughes believes that the differences in driver skills are able to overwhelm the differences in the capability of the cars; namely, Monaco, Spa and Suzuka.^[39] Kubica managed to finish on the podium behind the Red Bulls except in Suzuka where he was strong throughout the weekend nevertheless, despite retiring from the race through no fault of his own.

2011[link]

Kubica during pre-season testing at Valencia in February 2011.

Kubica was retained by Renault – rebranded as Lotus Renault GP through Lotus Cars sponsorship – into the 2011 season, again partnered by Vitaly Petrov.^[40] He tested the team's new car, the Renault R31, for the first time in Valencia on 2 February.^[40] On the last day of testing in Valencia he set the fastest time of the session.^[41]

On 6 February 2011, Kubica was injured in a crash on the first stage of the Ronde di Andora rally. He was driving a Super 2000-specification Škoda Fabia,^[42] in Testico when his car left the road at high speed and hit a crash barrier,^[43] near the church of San Sebastiano.^[44][45] Kubica was trapped in the car for more than an hour before rescue workers were able to extricate him.^[46] He was flown by helicopter to Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure^[47] near Savona, where it was confirmed that he had suffered partial amputation of his forearm, compound fractures to his right elbow, shoulder and leg, as well as significant loss of blood.^[46][48][49] The severity of his injuries was the result of the crash barrier penetrating the car's cockpit, and hitting Kubica, while leaving his co-driver unscathed. Kubica underwent a seven hour operation by seven doctors split into two teams, without complications.^[46] Two more lengthy operations to repair fractures to his leg, shoulder and arm were performed successfully a few days later.^[50][51] The condition of his hand was not clear for some time and as a result he missed the 2011 season.^[52][53][54] As he was unable to start the season, Lotus Renault signed Nick Heidfeld as his replacement on 16 February, while Kubica still remained signed with the team for the 2011 season.^[55] Bruno Senna replaced Heidfeld later in the season, at the Belgian Grand Prix. Kubica was released from hospital to begin his rehabilitation on 24 April 2011.^[56] In November 2011 it was announced that Kubica would not be ready for the beginning of the 2012 season, forcing Renault to begin the season with two other drivers, Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean.^[57]

His recovery was dealt another setback after he re-broke his right leg, when he reportedly slipped on ice near his home in Italy, on 11 January 2012.^[58]

Racing record[link]

Career summary[link]