In little over three years of Grand Prix racing, Poland's Robert Kubica has firmly established himself as one of the quickest, most consistent drivers on the grid, despite having scored just one win. Coming to within two races of taking the 2008 drivers' championship, Kubica's F1 path took a huge hit in 2009 thanks to a woeful BMW, but should be soon back on the road to success deserving of his talents.

Having won the 2005 World Series by Renault, Kubica earned himself a one-day test with Renault that winter. Although there was no room at the championship winning team for the following season, BMW Sauber hired the youngster by relying completely on his impressive test at Renault, having not yet had the chance to test him in their own cars. After spending two thirds of the season as their third driver in Friday's practice sessions, Kubica was called up to race at the Hungarian Grand Prix, replacing former champion Jacques Villeneuve.

Repaying the team for the blind faith they had showed, Kubica took the F1.06 into the points on his Grand Prix debut, only to be disqualified for an underweight car after the race. But his wait for points wouldn't have to wait much longer when he took an admirable third place in only his third race in Monza, driving superbly from sixth on the grid. Although he failed to score points in the final three races, the 21-year-old had set his mark on the world of Formula One.

Having scored consistent but modest points over the course of 2006, BMW Sauber took another step forward on the F1 grid in 2007, with Kubica regularly breaking into the top 5. Unlike team-mate Heidfeld who scored two podiums and consistently outperformed his less experienced team-mate, Kubica failed to reach the top three, but qualified inside the top ten on all but one occasion, while scored points in 11 of his 16 races.

His first full season of racing also included a horrific 75g accident in the Canadian Grand Prix, when he collided head-on with a concrete wall, causing irreparable damage to his car. Despite the heavy impact, the car's safety cell left Kubica largely unharmed, but was forced to sit out the following race in the United States due to a mild concussion. On his return, he took two consecutive fourth place finishes, and even had a chance of winning the Chinese Grand Prix before retiring with hydraulic failure while in the lead.

True to their word, BMW Sauber progressed from being a consistent points-scoring team to consistent podium finishers in 2008, with Kubica claiming no less than seven of the team's 11 top-three finishes. His consistency in scoring points was second to none, and despite driving a vastly inferior car to the main championship contenders, his maiden F1 victory in Canada, helped by the retirement of the race leaders, catapulted him into the lead of the world championship.

But in an unforgivable misjudgement, BMW Sauber decided to end development of their 2008 machine to focus on the 2009 rules change, having achieved their targeted maiden victory. Having been leading both championships at the time of their first win, Kubica was understandably angered at the decision not to push for the title, but he nevertheless pushed on, and kept himself in the championship hunt until the second-last race. A bad end to the season saw him drop to fourth in the standings.

The disappointment of 2008 however would be nothing compared to the heartache of his 2009 season, and despite much hype and anticipation of challenging for the world championship, BMW Sauber took a might leap back down the grid, from consistent podiums to sporadic points. Kubica went the first six races without scoring a single point, as the car lacked downforce and the team's much-loved KERS unit proved ineffective. Nevertheless, Kubica kept his reputation in tact with a number of eye-catching performances.

In the season-opener in Australia, he could have won but for a late-race collision with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, while late in the season, an aerodynamic upgrade package introduced in Singapore allowed him to take second place in Brazil. Having hoped to challenge for the title, 14th place in the championship was a huge let-down for Kubica, made all the worse by BMW's withdrawal from the sport.

Decade highs:
Maiden podium in Italy 2006, his third F1 race
First and so far only F1 win in Canada 2008
Second place in Brazil 2009, significantly more than the car deserved

Decade lows:
Horrific 75g shunt in Canada 2007, ruling him out of the US Grand Prix
BMW ending development on the 2008 car, while he was leading the championship
Hugely disappointing 2009 season with an uncompetitive car

2010s?
While Renault may not be strong enough to launch Kubica towards a title, there's no doubt that the Pole will find his way into a competitive machine in the coming years and take the many more race wins he deserves. A world championship is certainly not out of the question, especially if the cards fall his way.