F1 veteran admits joining team was a big mistake

Kubica before retiring his car during the Hungarian GP — Photo: © LAT Images

F1 News & Gossip

F1 veteran admits joining team was a big mistake

Robert Kubica did not enjoy his F1 comeback in 2019

Cal Gaunt

Tuesday 19 December 2023 16:57

Robert Kubica has said that his return to F1 in 2019 'could not have gone worse'.

F1 fans were buzzing with excitement when the news broke that Robert Kubica would be joining Williams in 2019. A revered talent of his generation, the Polish driver had been granted the opportunity to make a triumphant return to the grid.

But in a recent interview with Przeglad Sportowy, the 39-year-old candidly admitted that, while he respects the team, the decision to join Williams was, in retrospect, less than stellar.

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Kubica's Formula 1 journey began in 2006, following his Formula Renault 3.5 triumph the preceding year. Stepping in for Jacques Villeneuve, he enjoyed three successful seasons with BMW Sauber, securing the team's lone victory in Canada in 2008. Unfortunately, a massive crash in a rally series before the 2011 season brought an abrupt end to his F1 career, with injuries to his leg, shoulder, arm and hand forcing him to rebuild and prove his fitness.

Robert Kubica returned to F1 with Williams in 2019

Robert Kubica says his F1 return 'could not have gone worse'

Kubica: Wrong time, wrong place

In a remarkable comeback, eight seasons after his last Formula 1 race, Kubica found himself back on the grid with Williams in 2019.

However, the fairytale took an unexpected turn as he grappled with the challenges of piloting the slowest car on the grid.

“Over the years I have come to a certain awareness of the experience that I don’t need to race at all costs," Kubica said.

“I want to find the right environment because I know what I need to feel good in it. And the current situation gives a certain awareness of such mental comfort.

“There’s a second thought related to returning to F1 – in terms of the sporting aspect with Williams, I couldn’t have done worse.

“To be fair – I have a lot of respect for that group, because there were quite a few people who really knew what they were doing there.

“But unfortunately we were at the wrong time and in the wrong place.”

Robert Kubica moved to Alfa Romeo before retiring from F1

Kubica's final farewell

Kubica's stint with Williams in 2019 yielded a solitary point, earned during the German Grand Prix where he clinched a 10th-place finish.

Paired with the debutant George Russell, the seasoned driver found himself alongside a young British talent.

Despite Russell regularly out-qualifying his more experienced team-mate, neither driver managed to secure more points throughout the season.

Russell has catapulted himself to the dizzy heights of F1 alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, while Kubica bid farewell to Williams at the conclusion of that season, making a brief return to F1 with Alfa Romeo for just two races in 2021.

Williams Jacques Villeneuve Robert Kubica