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...
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.
