2019 Review – Robert Kubica: One Point and Regrets

The story had everything to be beautiful, but the epilogue ultimately leaves a bitter taste for all the supporters of Robert Kubica who were thrilled by his return to the premier discipline of motorsport for this 2019 season.

Seriously injured in the arm during a rally accident in 2011, the former BMW driver, winner of the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, conducted several tests at the end of 2017 to assess his ability to drive a Formula 1 car again. With these tests being successful, the Polish driver did not hesitate to first sign a contract as a reserve driver with Williams in 2018 before becoming a main driver in 2019.

But the Williams team continues to lose performance and gradually becomes the last team on the grid with ever-decreasing financial means. In the seat of a troublesome, poorly conceived car that would see very little development throughout the season, Kubica could hardly shine.

It will take several races before he gets a steering wheel adapted to his new driving style, as his hand and right arm are almost inoperative, and the few new parts manufactured by the factory in Grove will more often end up on his teammate’s car than on his own. Tired of this situation and with a relationship becoming strained with the team management, Kubica will announce relatively early in the season his departure from the team at the end of the year.

Sportingly, the Pole did not shine against his teammate, a novice in the discipline. George Russell is indeed the only driver on the grid to have outperformed his teammate in all the qualifying sessions of the season. The only point scored by Kubica at the German Grand Prix following the disqualification of the two Alfa Romeo remains the team’s only point this year. A meager consolation for a driver who certainly deserved better and who is expected to take on the role of third driver in 2020 with Haas or Racing Point.