Aston Martin chief Mike Krack snubbed the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher to name Robert Kubica as "the best I've ever seen".
The Pole has long been a popular figure among Formula 1 fans, having emerged as an unlikely title contender during the 2008 season. He had a brilliant year with BMW-Sauber and won the Canadian Grand Prix to lead Hamilton and Felipe Massa in the standings.
Kubica ended up finishing fourth, but was just 23 points off eventual champion Hamilton. BMW faded the following year but a move to Renault in 2010 saw the return of better results.