Kubica doesn't regret F1 comeback

Robert Kubica insists he does not regret returning to Formula 1. The Pole had a poor weekend for Williams at the Australian Grand Prix, which was his first race since returning from an eight-year recovery after suffering permanent arm injuries in a rally crash.

Not only is Williams by far the slowest team, Kubica was outpaced by his teammate George Russell and was even lapped by the rookie Briton on Sunday after suffering front-wing damage at the start of the race.

"From the time I heard about it [Kubica's return], I questioned it," former F1 driver JJ Lehto told Iltalehti newspaper.

"He's been away for so long and Williams are so lost at the moment that the drivers can hardly do anything."

But Kubica insisted in Melbourne: "No, I don't regret returning.

View this post on Instagram

First long day of many this year , nothing compare to long 8 years ! Pierwszy dlugi dzien z wielu w tym roku , nic w porownaniu do 8 dlugich lat ! ???????? #f1 #orlen #orlenteam #rokitwilliamsracing #robertkubica #rk88 #kubica

A post shared by Robert Kubica (@robertkubica_real) on Mar 15, 2019 at 5:42am PDT

"Last year I considered the decision for more than six weeks and knew it would be difficult, even if I didn't know we would go to Australia so unprepared.

"For me, as a driver, the days in Barcelona were the most important of the last eight years, why is why I found myself in a difficult situation. Somehow I managed to cope with all of that here, and now I will need to do it again in Bahrain and possibly for several more races.

"But I don't regret. I am not the most emotional person, but after the finish I felt that I had achieved something serious."

Still, Kubica admits it was a very difficult race.

"At one point, I heard from my engineer that I have good pace, and I started to laugh because it felt like I was standing still," he said.

"But only two years ago no one even thought that I could go back to racing. Now I have a long flight home, but I'm leaving Australia happy."

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

F1 2026 Merch: Where to buy ALL teamwear including new Lewis Hamilton Ferrari kit, McLaren latest and more

• 1 hour ago

F1 Australian Grand Prix Tickets: The full guide to 2026 prices and how to buy for 2027

• 2 hours ago

Made in Australia, majestic in Monaco: The dress that stole F1's wedding of the year

• 2 hours ago

‘Almost don’t want to drive’: Max Verstappen is ‘emotionally drained’ by F1’s new 2026 cars

• 2 hours ago

F1 2026 Australian Grand Prix starting grid with penalties applied

• 3 hours ago

Australian Grand Prix EIGHT-CAR pileup sends F1 and FIA a major Melbourne warning

• Today 13:57