KUBICA’S 2018 SEASON
Had Robert Kubica’s plan to return to a Formula 1 race seat come to fruition, he’d now be 12 races into his comeback. As it is, the Pole has had to be satisfied with playing an active, but patchy, role in on-track running for Williams with testing and Friday practice outings.
Kubica has made two Friday appearances, in Spain and Austria, and completed five test days – one of which was the snow-hit day at the opening pre-season test during which he completed a single lap. That adds up to a grand total of 410 laps.
The Williams team rates his pace as perfectly decent, particularly over a stint, and he would unquestionably be capable of racing a grand prix car. But even with the caveat that he was running test programmes and FP1 programmes that made headline lap times both irrelevant and impossible to achieve, the evidence suggests he hasn’t rediscovered that razor-sharp pace that once made him one of the best in the business.
He is scheduled to drive again in FP1 at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and will also drive in the post-race Pirelli tyre test should it happen.