Jakub Jerzy "Kuba" Śmiechowski (born 11 October 1991) is a Polish racing driver and a three-time LMP2 class winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He competes in the European Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans with Inter Europol Competition, where he also serves as team principal.
Early career After competing in karting, Śmiechowski made his single-seater debut with Kochanski Motorsport in the Italian Formula Renault series in 2009, partaking in three race meetings. He moved into the Formula Renault Northern European Cup the following year. Remaining with Kochanski, the Pole finished seventh in the drivers' standings. In 2011, Śmiechowski switched to his father's team Inter Europol Competition and returned to the NEC series, finishing 12th overall. The two subsequent years saw Śmiechowski contest the NEC two further times, although his finishes would worsen, with 25th place in 2012 and 39th in 2013. During the latter year, Śmiechowski also took part in the Remus Formula Renault 2.0 Cup, where he won the title by taking victory in all six races he participated in.
2014 saw Śmiechowski switching to the BOSS GP championship, which he and Inter Europol would contest with a Dallara GP2/05 as part of the Open class. In his debut season, two race wins and 11 podiums earned the Pole a championship title. He switched to the Formula class in 2015, finishing second in the standings with five victories.
Sportscar career
ELMS and V de V Endurance split In 2016, Śmiechowski stepped into sportscar racing, partnering Jens Petersen in the LMP3 category of the European Le Mans Series. There, a best finish of fifth in the Algarve earned the team tenth in the standings. Śmiechowski reaped more rewards in the V de V Challenge, as he and Martin Hippe won the series LMP3 championship.
Śmiechowski and Inter Europol returned to both championships in 2017. The team saw their results improve, as a maiden podium in Le Castellet earned Śmiechowski and Martin Hippe fifth place in the standings. In the V de V Endurance Series, he retained his title thanks to four podiums including two victories alongside full-time teammate Hendrik Still. Additionally, he raced in the GT & Prototype Challenge that year, finishing second in the LMP3 class.
For the 2018 ELMS season, Śmiechowski and Hippe remained teammates at Inter Europol. They had a breakthrough in terms of accolades, with the team's first win in the category coming at the season-ending Portimão round, which, along with a podium at the Red Bull Ring, propelled the pair up to second place in LMP3. During the same year, Śmiechowski contested his final V de V campaign, where he finished fifth with one win. At the end of the year and going into 2019, the Pole managed to win two races in the Asian Le Mans Series alongside Hippe, and two additional second-place finishes earned the team the AsLMS title - as well as an invitation to the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans.
First LMP2 years 2019 would be Śmiechowski's debut season in the LMP2 category, which he and Inter Europol contested in the ELMS. A campaign of struggle was in order, as the No. 34 team could not supersede a best race result of 12th on their path to 17th and second-last in the teams' standings. At Le Mans, Śmiechowski, Nigel Moore, and James Winslow battled past technical gremlins with their Ligier JS P217 to finish 16th in the LMP2 class.
During the 2019-2020 winter, Inter Europol came back to the AsLMS, this time in LMP2. Despite partnering seasoned LMP2 veteran Mathias Beche as well as James Winslow, Śmiechowski and his partners took fifth in the standings, one place behind the sister IEC car.
Śmiechowski partnered René Binder and Matevos Isaakyan in the truncated ELMS campaign, having originally been slated to be joined by Beche. The team scored their best finishes in Le Castellet with seventh in the first race and sixth in August, results which helped IEC to finish 12th overall. In addition, Śmiechowski ran at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he finished 17th in class alongside his ELMS teammates, and drove in two races of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, where the Pole made his first racing appearances in an Oreca 07.
WEC seasons and Le Mans victories Ahead of 2021, Inter Europol made a permanent move to the FIA World Endurance Championship, fielding one Oreca 07 with Śmiechowski, Cadillac factory driver Renger van der Zande, and Alex Brundle in the lineup. The team experienced a consistent opening season, finishing all but one race in the top five, which included fourth at Monza and fifth at Le Mans. With these results, IEC ended up fifth in the teams' standings.
Remaining in the WEC in 2022, the now team principal Śmiechowski was joined by Brundle and ex-F1 driver Esteban Gutiérrez. A sophomore slump befell the outfit, as the car experienced electrical problems and a damaged clutch at Sebring and Brundle crashed in the wet at Spa. Their fortunes turned slightly after a 13th place in the Le Mans 24h, with a fourth place at Monza being the season highlight. However, IEC missed out on points in the final two rounds, leaving them 11th in the LMP2 table, only ahead of the four Pro-Am lineups.
For the 2023 season, Śmiechowski was partnered by former Lamborghini factory driver Albert Costa and third-year LMP2 racer Fabio Scherer. The trio proved that the team had progressed, scoring points finishes in the opening two races before finishing third at Spa. However, the ultimate triumph came at Le Mans, as Inter Europol were able to take victory despite a foot injury for Scherer and radio issues during the final stages, with Śmiechowski being on pace with the majority of other silver-ranked drivers. With further points finishes during the remaining three races, Śmiechowski and his teammates were able to defend second place in the standings.
Śmiechowski took a step back from racing full-time in 2024, as he limited his schedule to the Endurance Cup rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. In a season where teammates Tom Dillmann and Nick Boulle won the overall LMP2 title, Śmiechowski aided them with podiums at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis. The trio finished second in the Michelin Endurance Cup standings. Śmiechowski also returned to defend his Le Mans crown in 2024, partnering Clément Novalak and Vladislav Lomko. Despite losing a wheel and dropping one lap behind the leaders on Saturday evening, the team fought back to end the event in second place.
Joined by Dillmann and Nick Yelloly, Śmiechowski returned to a full schedule in 2025 with a season in the European Le Mans Series. The season began with a mechanical failure in Barcelona, which dropped the No. 43 IEC squad to tenth in class. Śmiechowski then held the lead for a majority of the opening stint at Paul Ricard, having started on wet tyres, though he was undone by having to pit immediately after a safety car at the end of the first hour. The team managed to recover to second in the Pro class. The 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans yielded more success for Śmiechowski's career: despite having had to change the front bodywork after Śmiechowski ran through the gravel midway through the race, as well as a late drive-through penalty for Yelloly that lost the team the lead, the No. 43 crew profited from a suspension failure for the leading Panis Racing entry of Esteban Masson to retake the lead in the final 20 minutes and claim victory for a second time. The battle with VDS Panis Racing continued throughout the year in the ELMS series, where it ended with a victory for the French team. Five second places in a total of six races earned Śmiechowski and his teammates second place in the overall series standings.
During 2025, Śmiechowski also made his Nordschleife debut.
For 2026, Śmiechowski remained in the ELMS alongside Yelloly and Dillmann. They finished fifth at Barcelona and seventh in class at Le Castellet. Śmiechowski and his teammates entered the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans as pre-race favourites. They lived up to expectations, driving a clean race and focusing on fuel saving to secure the team's third victory in four years.
Racing record
Racing career summary SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition2009Formula Renault 2.0 ItalyKochanski Motorsport Project600002921st2010Formula Renault 2.0 NECKochanski Motorsport1900001937thEurocup Formula Renault 2.0400000NC†2011Formula Renault 2.0 NECInter Europol Competition20000012112th Formula 2000 Light Winter Trophy20001364th2012Formula Renault 2.0 NECInter Europol Competition1900007525th2013Formula Renault 2.0 NECInter Europol1500001539th Remus Formula Renault 2.0 Cup Inter Europol Competition66??61501st2014BOSS GP - OpenInter Europol Competition16210112761stCentral European Zone Championship E2-2000?????1123rdRemus F3 Cup83?371562nd2015BOSS GP - Formula ClassInter Europol Competition14535142772ndRemus F3 Cup822241214thCentral European Zone Championship E2-2000?????1932ndAustrian Circuit Championships - Division 1?????2272ndESET V4 Cup - Formula?????1272nd2016Challenge Endurance LMP3 LMP2 V de VInter Europol Competition75306294.51stEuropean Le Mans Series - LMP36000024.512th2017V de V Endurance Series - LMP3Inter Europol Competition72004218.51stEuropean Le Mans Series - LMP360001565thGT & Prototype Challenge - LMP31046692082nd2018European Le Mans Series - LMP3Inter Europol Competition6100270.252ndV de V Endurance Series - LMP371004145.55th2018–19FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2Inter Europol Competition100000NC†Asian Le Mans Series - LMP342004871st2019European Le Mans Series - LMP2Inter Europol Competition60000228th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A16th2019–20FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2Inter Europol Competition100000NC†Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2Inter Europol Endurance40000285th2020European Le Mans Series - LMP2Inter Europol Competition5000015.516thIMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2200015811th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A17th2021FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2Inter Europol Competition60001846th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A52022FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2Inter Europol Competition600002015th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A13th2023FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2Inter Europol Competition710021142nd 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP211001N/A1st 2024IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 5 0 0 0 2 1581 17th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 Inter Europol Competition 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd2025 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 Inter Europol Competition11001N/A1st European Le Mans Series - LMP260005922nd Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - BMW M240i PTerting Sports by Up2Race2000112NC†202624 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2Inter Europol Competition11001N/A1stEuropean Le Mans Series - LMP25111144*6th*IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP21000132527th* * Season still in progress.† As Śmiechowski was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 DC Points 2010 Kochanski MotorsportALC1ALC2SPA1SPA2BRN1BRN2MAG1MAG2HUN1HUN2HOC1HOC2SIL1SIL2CAT1CAT2 NC† 0 2011 Inter Europol CompetitionALC1ALC2SPA1SPA2NÜR1NÜR2HUN1HUN2SIL1SIL2LEC1LEC2CAT1CAT2 NC† 0
† As Śmiechowski was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
Complete Formula Renault 2.0 NEC results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) YearEntrant1234567891011121314151617181920PosPoints 2010 Kochanski MotorsportHOC1HOC2BRN1BRN2ZAN1ZAN2OSC1OSC2OSC3ASS1ASS2MST1MST2MST3SPA1SPA2SPA3NÜR1NÜR2NÜR3 7th 193 2011 Inter Europol CompetitionHOC1HOC2HOC3SPA1SPA2NÜR1NÜR2ASS1ASS2ASS3OSC1OSC2ZAN1ZAN2MST1MST2MST3MNZ1MNZ2MNZ3 12th 121 2012 Inter Europol CompetitionHOC1HOC2HOC3NÜR1NÜR2OSC1OSC2OSC3ASS1ASS2RBR1RBR2MST1MST2MST3ZAN1ZAN2ZAN3SPA1SPA2 25th 75 2013 Inter Europol CompetitionHOC1HOC2HOC3NÜR1NÜR2SIL1SIL2SPA1SPA2ASS1ASS2MST1MST2MST3ZAN1ZAN2ZAN3 40th 15