Robert Kubica will not be on the Formula 1 grid in 2018, but the door remains open, through his new role with Williams, a signal that both driver and team are keen to continue evaluations, as Motorsport Week analyses.
That Robert Kubica’s role as a reserve/development driver in Formula 1 this season has been received in some quarters as disappointing only highlights the remarkable desire for the Pole to return to a race seat. Kubica barely registered on Formula 1’s radar 12 months ago – six years after his seemingly career-ending accident – but has brought himself back into contention through a rigorous training programme, determination, commitment, and the aspiration from a couple of teams to see if the driver that lit up Formula 1 a decade ago is still there.
Barring another twist of fate, Kubica will not line up on the grid in Melbourne, nor will he be one of 20 waiting for the lights to go out in Abu Dhabi in November, but the comeback dream is still alive through his new Williams role.
Even at this early stage of the year – with pre-season testing still over a month away – Williams has given an indication of Kubica’s role within the team. For some teams, a reserve/development role – particularly the latter – is little more than a name, and more likely to be awarded to a well-funded youngster. Even then a reserve/development driver can end up being gazumped by external circumstances, perchance a driver with a larger stack of cash. Kubica’s role is more intriguing. Even though he has only the same number of starts as Marcus Ericsson – and only four current Formula 1 drivers have shared a grid with Kubica – he will be regarded as the more experienced, mentor-like back-up for Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin, who head into 2018 with comparatively little knowledge and no realistic benchmark. He will also be the driver to which Williams turns if Stroll or Sirotkin are indisposed.
Kubica has already been promised outings during pre-season and in-season testing, as well as runs at selected Grands Prix, to assist Williams with its development but ostensibly to also offer him a chance to further prove his credentials. This is significantly more than his immediate similarly-titled predecessors received. Alex Lynn, as development driver, received in-season test days, filling the young driver quota, but did not get near a practice session. Adrian Sutil, drafted in as reserve in the aftermath of Valtteri Bottas missing the 2015 Australian GP through a back injury, was merely there for show, and never got near a car. The same fate largely befell successor Paul di Resta, until he assisted Stroll’s development in a 2014-spec FW36, and received a last-gasp chance last year in Hungary when Massa fell ill. Felipe Nasr, in 2014, was the last driver to receive such a substantial programme as reserve driver, running three test days and five FP1s – though sponsorship played a large factor there.
The test and practice runs permits Williams to fully evaluate Kubica, and Kubica to improve his understanding, to answer some of the question marks which remain. Was his so-so display in Abu Dhabi the most he could achieve, or was it a case of a driver grappling with notoriously fickle tyres, and getting back into a rhythm, with his tests coming in different machinery at a variety of circuits. His programme of testing was disjointed, to say the least. Could a world-class tennis player spend so long out of the game, play a few training matches with different-sized rackets on different surfaces and expect to be at their previous level straight away? Therein lies the predicament facing Kubica and Williams. They simply do not know and could not immediately take the risk; creating his 2018 programme provides both parties with the chance to undertake further evaluations. Kubica, at least, believes he can still hack it, else he would not be trying. Equally, in handing him track time, Williams is clearly keen to get a full picture.
“I feel in the best physical shape that I have ever been, but it has taken a lot of work to get to where I am now,” he said. “I’d like to thank Williams for the opportunities they have given me so far, and for putting their faith in me with this appointment.
“I have enjoyed being back in the Formula 1 paddock over these past few months, and I now look forward to working with the Williams technical team, both at the factory and at the track, to really help push forward the development of the FW41 and to make a real difference to their 2018 campaign. Having driven both the FW36 and the FW40, I’m looking forward to seeing how the FW41 measures up on track and working with the team to ensure we can maximise the performance of the car. My ultimate goal remains to race again in Formula 1 and this is another important step in that direction: I cannot wait to get started.”
The sun hasn’t yet set on the Hype Train…
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