KUBICATOMAKEF1RETURN WITHWILLIAMSNEXTYEAR
Poletomakeremarkablecomebackfromrallyinjuries
Robert Kubica will make a fulltime return to Formula 1 next season after being announced as a Williams driver last week.
The 2008 Canadian Grand Prix winner will partner George Russell at Williams in 2019 and end an absence from the F1 grid of more than eight years. Only four drivers have had a longer gap between F1 races.
Kubica has not raced in the category since the 2010 season finale, having suffered severe injuries to his right arm in a rally crash in early ’11.
Securing a 2019 drive means Kubica completes a stunning comeback from the long-term injuries he sustained in that crash, which stopped him from racing for several years.
“Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has helped me during what was a difficult period of my life over these last few years,” he said.
“It has been a challenging journey to make it back to the Formula 1 grid, but what seemed almost impossible is now beginning to feel possible, as I am excited to be able to say that I will be on the Formula 1 grid in 2019.
“It will not be easy, but with hard work and dedication, both George and myself will work together to try and help the team get in better shape to move further up the grid.
“This year has been tough, but I have learnt a lot, and I’d like to thank Sir Frank and Claire for this opportunity.
“Being back on the F1 grid next season will be one of the greatest achievements of my life, and I’m sure with hard work and commitment we will be able to help motivate the team to achieve good things together.”
Kubica, who says he now drives “70 per cent” left-handed, has not raced a single-seater since the last of his 76 grand prix starts.
He first returned to competitive action in rallying before making a circuit-racing comeback in the 2016 Mugello 12 Hours GT race.
Kubica completed a successful F1 test with Renault last year in a 2012 car before driving the contemporary Renault and Williams machinery in Hungary and Abu Dhabi, respectively.
The Williams deal means the 33-yearold lands the seat he had originally targeted for this season before having to settle for a reserve driver role.
Kubica was also understood to have had a firm offer from Ferrari to take up a development role with the Italian team for 2019.
He and Russell replace Sergey Sirotkin and Force India-bound Lance Stroll in Williams’s line-up.
Deputy team principal Claire Williams said Kubica had made a huge impression on her squad with his work in 2018.
“All of us at Williams have been immensely impressed at what he has achieved, and it is a great credit to his strength of character and tenacity to return to Formula 1,” she said.
“During this season his commitment to the team and the work he has put in behind the scenes has been unwavering, and he has become an established and much respected member of the Williams team.
“He has a level of determination that is remarkable to see; and he truly embodies the Williams fighting spirit.” ● Following Kubica’s confirmation at Williams, Force India refugee Esteban Ocon was announced as Mercedes’s reserve driver for 2019 after the Frenchman failed to find a race seat.