What the heck is going on at Williams?

Recent reports suggested that the fight for the Williams seat alongside Lance Stroll next year was suddenly won by Russian and Renault reserve Sergey Sirotkin. Rumours stated that his pace turned out to be stronger than Kubica's and that, tied in with his larger financial package, had left the Pole out of the running and that the young Russian was a shoe in for the drive...or had it? Because things have taken a rather interesting turn recently and nobody seems to know what the hell is going on.

An announcement was expected by many today, but reports then came out stating the decision has been delayed until January saying "Sirotkin's contract is understood to be close to being finalised with only minor details still to be ironed out.".

What those details are we don't know, but it is certainly clear there is more to this story than meets the eye. Felipe Massa has said in an interview with "Grande Premio" today that he had gathered that Kubica had a contract ready in Brazil and it was signed following the test in Abu Dhabi after the last race of the year. This was then effectively thrown out the window as Williams couldn't resist the $15 million that Sirotkin brought to the table. This certainly smacks of the Sauber and Giedo Van Der Garde dispute in 2015, when Sauber signed three drivers for their two cars for that season and Van Der Garde took the team to court in Australia. He won the fight, and the teams cars were effectively impounded by bailiffs on the opening day of practice whilst the dispute was sorted. It even got as far as Van Der Garde having a seat fitting as it looked like the team would have to jettison either Felipe Nasr or Marcus Ericsson for at least that weekend.  The dispute was eventually settled and the team proceeded with Nasr and Ericsson, but it shows what can happen if a team messes drivers around.

It then gets more interesting with rumors Kubica was at Williams this week for further negotiations, and former sponsor Lotos is reputedly behind him once again following his rallying days and could well bring even more money to Kubica's $8 million package. These reports are further enhanced by RACER reporting that "While the ongoing delay would suggest Kubica's chances have lessened, making Sirotkin the favorite for the seat, RACER understands there are still opposing views within the team on who should get the seat alongside Stroll."

This clearly suggests that there is a larger number of people in the team who feel Kubica should still be their driver. He impressed them massively with his feedback, knowledge and how well he embedded himself within the team during the test and it felt like he had been there for the whole year and not just a few days. It was similar reasons to this that lead to McLaren dropping Sergio Perez in 2013 and replacing him with Kevin Magnussen for 2014.

Maybe none of this is true, and that it will still be Sirotkin in that car. But I aren't so sure. Something odd is going on, and it could be sometime before we find out who is in that car next year. Because what looks to be a clear cut decision, may well turn out to be anything but that...

Kubica at Williams: Surely that's the only solution?

Robert Kubica and Williams have been in the spotlight for a while now, especially following the Pole's recent test in Abu Dhabi as he aims to make a fairy tale F1 comeback in 2018. Since the test has been completed, it has all gone rather quiet and many are speculating if this means the dream comeback will not happen. But surely this is just a case of Williams crunching the data, because you think about it, look at all the other options and way up each ones pros and cons, Kubica really is Williams only choice to partner Lance Stroll for 2018. And here's why...

As Formula 1 heads into its winter slumber, the Williams seat alongside Stroll is the only one that has yet to be filled, and there are 5 drivers who each have varying chances of securing the seat. They are Pascal Wehrlein, Daniil Kvyat, Paul Di Resta, Sergey Sirotkin and of course, Robert Kubica.  Di Resta and Wehrlein are now looking unlikely to take the seat. Mercedes apparently will not give Williams an engine discount for taking on their promising young German and Di Resta, whilst very impressive in his stand-in race back in Hungary, seems to be viewed much more as a 'great backup' which is perhaps harsh as he very much deserves another shot at Formula 1.

So then you have the remaining trio of Kvyat, Sirotkin and Kubica and all three of course are interesting prospects. Kvyat as we know is now no longer a part of the Red Bull driver scheme, Toro Rosso of course fielding Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly from next year as they switch to Honda power. The speed Kvyat posses has not been disputed, and despite being demoted to the Toro Rosso team from the main Red Bull team back in 2016, he has still flown flashes of the speed that got him promoted to the Red Bull drive in the first place over the more experienced (and in hindsight, probably better choice) Jean-Eric Vergne.

But that's where it gets tricky for Kvyat. For despite his speed, he has never recovered mentally from the demotion which saw Max Verstappen win on his debut for the Red Bull team in Spain last year. The decision to demote Kvyat was harsh and you can understand why it affected his mindset, but the problem is he never recovered and is now seen by many as damaged goods. When returning to the team and being partnered with Carlos Sainz, the Spaniard scored 48 points prior to Kvyat's removal this year. Kvyat himself scored 4. And despite a strong final race in Austin this year to take 10th, he was told straight after the race by Helmut Mark that "you're done now, you can go home". A change of scenery may help Kvyat, but is it worth the risk for a driver not quite on the level of a Ricciardo or Verstappen? There is also no guarantee his mental state will improve either.

Sergey Sirotkin became a late contender for the seat in the Abu Dhabi test alongside Kubica, and showed impressive speed and a good attitude towards the team. But as far as I can tell...that's it. Yes he proved he was quick and a solid driver, but Williams don't need "solid". They need more than that, hence why they chased Alonso for a part of the year. But my main concern with a Sirotkin and Stroll lineup is just how utterly weak this will look. You have in effect two rookies in your team, yes one has done a full season but it was patchy at times and young Stroll is still obviously learning the ropes. His end to the season was truly awful, making three stops in Abu Dhabi over everyone elses one stop and the team don't understand what was going on. Sirotkin has had some free practice running with Renault, but not a lot when compared to the likes of Antonio Giovanzzi at Haas or what Jolyon Palmer recieved at Lotus in 2015. His junior record is also a bit patchy, and he made two many mistakes in the fight against Stoffel Vandoorne during the 2016 GP2 season. The preparation has not been there, and Williams risk looking like they are merely after those with the biggest bag of cash. Kubica does bring cash yes but not on the level of Sirotkin, and with much more skill and experience. It would be a huge risk to partner Stroll and Sirotkin, and one the team might come to regret if they do so.

Lastly, we come to the man that almost everyone in Formula 1 wants to see in that car next year. Robert Kubica. The man who no one thought would drive a Formula 1 car again, let alone be in contention for a full time race seat again. But here we are, six years on from that near fatal crash in the Ronde di Andora rally, the man considered to be F1's biggest lost talent is poised to make an incredible comeback against all the odds. And for Williams there are plenty of bonuses. He has experience from his first stint in F1. He's won a race and contested for the championship. He can bring a decent budget to the team and staggeringly, his speed does not appear to have suffered in the years away from open-wheel racing. He would provide the skill and the ability that Williams need to bring their car further up the field. His feedback and knowledge was also unbelievably impressive, the team highly impressed with what he fed back to them and he slotted into the team as if he had been there for years. Exactly what you need.

There is just one nagging doubt though. The Abu Dhabi test revealed that, whilst his race pace was there, his short run pace appeared to be lacking a touch. Mark Hughes reported that his 1min 39.4sec on the hypersoft tyre, on low fuel on the second day of the test was a little bit scrappy. Indeed whilst he was the quickest of the three drivers Williams ran in Abu Dhabi (Stroll also took part) it was only a tenth faster than Stroll had done himself.  But there could have been reasons behind that. Firstly, Kubica appeared to have encountered traffic on his first flying lap of the two he did, the hypersoft may have been too soft for the Yas Marina circuit and his lack of mileage in a 2017 car may not have helped either. Let's not forget, he was reportedly quicker than Sirotkin in the 2012 Lotus that he tested for Renault, on both long and short runs. This was a car not too dissimilar to the R31 and R30 he had driven the previous two years. In contrast, he had just had two days in the 2017 car before his performance run in Abu Dhabi. He was reportedly slower than Paul Di Resta on shorter runs as well in the private test that took place in Hungary with the 2014 FW36. Again though, it is a car that he was unfamiliar with and a massive downgrade from the 2017 Renault he had recently driven. The Mercedes engine in Abu Dhabi was also turned right down due to age in the FW40. So a multitude of reasons could explain the lack of pace, and more mileage in a current car in pre-season testing would probably rectify the issues.

Despite these doubts, I honestly feel that Kubica is the best choice for Williams and really their only logical choice. Of course they may get cold feet and back out, which would be a crying shame as any issues could surely be sorted with more mileage and in a far less restrictive environment than a Pirelli tyre test. Not only would the story of his comeback be utterly incredible, and no doubt a marketing wet dream for Williams, but his return could pay off big time and both parties could enjoy the success they crave and fans around the world will witness the return of a once lost star. A lot of journalists have been going on about "the silence being deafening" around the whole situation. But when there is nothing else to write about of any interest, you have to publish something don't you?  Listen out Williams: you have just one solution to your problem, and his name is Robert Kubica.

Valtteri Bottas bounces back in style

Valtteri Bottas had come under fire throughout the second half the 2017 Formula 1 season. The winner in Russia and Austria had been very much in the shade of teammate Lewis Hamilton following the summer break, but looked to have bounced back in Brazil with a superb pole position. He squandered that at the start and allowed Sebastian Vettel to win the race, but after an incredible lap in qualifying in Abu Dhabi saw him take back to back poles, he followed it up with a flawless win in a straight fight with the new world champion. Valtteri Bottas, is back.

Abu Dhabi was very much an all Mercedes affair, but it was also expected to be the Hamilton show. His crash in qualifying back in Brazil saw Mercedes fit a brand new power unit, and many expected this to give Hamilton a significant advantage at a track that rewards power. Hamilton duly dominated all but FP1, then Q3 saw Bottas pull out perhaps the best lap he ever has done to snatch pole from Hamilton and go against the form book of the previous day. Hamilton admitted Bottas had just done a better job, Vettel hailing it as a "mega" lap and with good reason. Bottas' margin of 0.172 over Hamilton, in the same car with a new power unit was extraordinary. Clearly, he was really overcoming his issues.

There were still doubts in the paddock on whether he could beat Hamilton off the line, let alone in the race. Perhaps unfairly, Hamilton was still tipped as the favorite for the win. At the start though Bottas held onto the lead, and built up a small but handy gap of just over two seconds over Hamilton as the pair pulled away slowly from Vettel. Following the pitstops however, Hamilton closed right up to Bottas and was less than half a second behind at one point, piling the pressure on and very much keeping the Finn on his toes. But despite all that, Bottas did not buckle and in the last few laps, he bolted. He was over five seconds clear of Hamilton as he exited the last corner, slowing down to celebrate with his team members hanging over the pitwall and complete the most impressive performance of his career to date.

Of course we do not know whether Bottas can do this consistently over a season. This performance came at the end of the year and to be fair to Bottas, against not only a very fast driver but one that has been embedded at Mercedes for five seasons in a car designed for Hamilton and Rosberg, not Hamilton and Bottas. With a full winter behind him at Mercedes, his deal to join the team coming very late in January of course, there is every chance that the young Finn will improve massively next year. Inter-team fireworks may yet be set off once again within the Silver Arrows. For now though, Bottas is most certainly back, and with a performance worthy of a world champion. 2018 could be big Valtteri Bottas.

Mercedes Won the War – But Ferrari Can Still be Proud

The 2017 Formula 1 titles were wrapped up in Austin and Mexico respectively, with Mercedes clinching the constructors title in the US and Lewis Hamilton the drivers in Mexico City.


Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel’s challenge had fizzled out from Singapore through to Mexico and the German now has to secure second place from Valtteri Bottas. But despite the issues the team and driver have faced and the failure to secure either title, they can still be proud of what they have achieved in 2017.

You have to take a step back and reflect on where Ferrari has come since Vettel joined them in 2015. That year saw a revitalized Scuderia take second in the championship and Vettel secured three wins and a pole position on his way to third in the title race, his first win in Malaysia throwing him right into the championship mix at that point.

It all seemed to set up a potential title challenge in 2016 and after the opening race of that year in Australia, it looked like it could be on. Ferrari took the lead at the start of the race, ran 1-2 for the majority and only lost out thanks to a DNF for Kimi Raikkonen and a poor strategy call. But that was perhaps the closest the team got to securing a victory all season.

The team took only 11 podiums across the 21 races, with no victories or pole positions. It was 5 podiums less than what the team had managed in 2015, and Vettel never really featured in the title fight which was eventually won by Nico Rosberg.

The Scuderia slipped behind Red Bull in the constructors standings and finished in third. As 2016 drew to a close and 2017 dawned, people were expecting a battle between Red Bull and Mercedes, with Ferrari perhaps being there in third. No one really gave them a chance. But what transpired was their best shot at a title since 2008.

“The team is growing, and there are many positive aspects. Overall, I think we are on the right path.” – Sebastian Vettel


Five pole positions, five wins and 17 podiums so far this season marked a huge improvement in form and the title battle seesawed between Ferrari and Mercedes, and Vettel and Hamilton. It all went sour with the Singapore smash between Vettel, Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso and the reliability issues in Sepang and Suzuka.

Had it not been for that, Vettel would still be right in the hunt for the title and if he hadn’t endured ‘argy-bargy’ with Hamilton in Baku, he could even be leading the championship! Despite the bumps along the road, Ferrari became title contenders again – all without being given a chance coming into the new season.

This alone is why Ferrari can be proud. Going into 2017 they weren’t given a hope in hell of challenging for this title, yet perhaps produced the overall better race car of the year and really took the fight to the all conquering Mercedes team.

Vettel produced some stellar drives such as Australia and Monaco, and some of his pole laps were sensational with perhaps Singapore and Mexico the standouts in the bunch. Raikkonen’s pole lap in Monaco was also something for the books. Ferrari may have lost the war this year, but they will come back even stronger in 2018. You can bet on that.